Sorghum | Jowar

• Sorghum is a warm-season crop, intolerant of low temperatures but fairly resistant to serious pests and diseases.
• The plant is thought to have originated in Africa, where it is an important food crop. Sorghum is prized for its drought and heat endurance in hot and arid climates.
• It is known by a variety of names Jowar, Cholam, or Jonna in India, Guinea corn in West Africa, and kaoliang in China.
• Sorghum millet is grown in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
• The majority of sorghum is grown in North and Central America.
• The animal feed comes from South America and Oceania. 

    Health Benefits of Sorghum: 

• Gluten-free food is recommended for celiac and gluten-intolerant individuals.
• Food with a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load lowers the risk of diabetes.
• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is reduced by invisible fat, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is improved.
• Low-calorie foods are good for weight loss and diabetes prevention.
• Magnesium-rich foods help to alleviate depression.
• Antioxidants and polyphenols are abundant in this food, which helps to minimize oxidative stress.
• Dietary fiber is high in this food, which is good for weight loss and diabetes prevention.
  
  
  

 

Sorghum Nutrition:

Sorghum is a nutrient-dense cereal grain that often underappreciated.

Half a cup (100 grams) of uncooked sorghum provides:

Calories             :   316    

Protein               :   10.4 gms

Fat                     :   1.9 gms

Carbohydrates   :   72.6 gms

Energy               :   349 kcal

Fibre                  :   1.6 gms

Mineral               :   1.6 gms

Calcium              :   25 mg

Vitamin B1          :   0.38 mg

Vitamin B2          :   0.15 mg

Vitamin B5          :   1.25 mg

Vitamin B6          :   0.21 mg

Niacin                 :   4.3 mg

Copper               :   0.46 mg

Iron                     :   4.1 mg

Magnesium        :   171 mg

Phosphorus        :   222 mg

Potassium          :   131 mg

Zinc                    :   1.6 mg

 

Sorghum is a lower-quality feed than corn (maize). It contains calcium and minor levels of iron, vitamin B1, and niacin, and is heavy in carbs with 10% protein and 3.4 percent fat.

 

 

Sorghum Plantations:

• Sorghum is a tall grass that typically grows to a height of 2 to 8 feet, but can reach up to 15 feet.
• The leaves are 76 cm long and 5 cm wide.
• Each flower cluster yields 800–3,000 kernels and is formed in panicles that range from loose to dense.
• The seeds vary in colour, shape, and size depending on the variety, but they are smaller than wheat seeds.

 

The gluten-free grain is commonly processed into a meal and used to make porridge, flatbreads, and cakes for human consumption.

Processing might help to mask the distinctively strong flavour.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), often known as big millet, Indian millet, milo, durra, or orshallu, is a grass family cereal grain plant with edible starchy seeds.

The grain is used to make edible oil, starch, dextrose (a sugar), paste, and alcoholic beverages. Fodder and building materials are made from the stalks. Sweet sorghums, or sorgos, are mostly produced for pasture and syrup production in the United States and southern Africa, and are occasionally used in the manufacturing of ethyl alcohol for biofuel.

 

Sorghum Nutritive value comparisions:

ü  Jowar is more in protein than rice, although the quality of the protein is not as good as rice protein.

ü  Lysine, methionine and cysteine are present in low amounts in Jowar. Some varieties of jowar contain excesive amounts of amino acids called leucine. The ensuring imbalance between leucine and isoleucine prevents tryptophan from being converted to niacin, resulting in niacin insufficiency.

ü  Since cereal and legume proteins are complementary to each other Jowar and any legume in the ratio of 70:30 will give better nutritional value.

ü  Jowar is high in carbs and vitamin B-complex.

ü  It has a low vitamin A content but is high in dietary fibre.

 

Sorghum Processing:

Pearling involves wet milling, where top layers bearing the colour fibre are removed by abrasion.

Polished grain with low fibre content results in loss of nearly 20 percent protein, 50 percent minerals and 33 percent thiamine.

Milling removes the proteins in hot bran and germ, which are nutritionally superior to the protein present elsewhere in the grain.

 

 

Some jowar is consumed as parched. According to the research conducted at Andhra Pradesh Agricultural university, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, popping and flaking of jowar improves the starch digestibility five times but reduces the protein digestibility in flakes. 

Whole jowar recipes significantly lowered plasma glucose levels than dehulled jowar recipes in non-insulin dependent diabetic persons.