Effect of Radiation Process Followed by Fermentation and/or Cooking on Nutritional Quality of High Tannin Sorghum Cultivar

Abstract

Aims: To study the effect of radiation process on nutritional quality of raw and processed flour of a high tannin sorghum cultivar (Karamaka).  Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Sudan between December 2012 and March 2013 Methodology: The flour of the cultivar was radiated using gamma radiation at doses of 5, 10 and 15 kGy and thereafter the radiated flour was fermented and/or cooked. Antinutrients, protein digestibility, amino acid contents and score, total and extractable minerals were determined. Results: Radiation of raw flour decreased the level of antinutrients with a concomitant increase in protein digestibility and minerals extractability. Moreover, radiation increased the level of some amino acids and decreased others. Among amino acids the most limiting ones are lysine, methionine plus cysteine and threonine.  Fermentation and/or cooking of radiated and non-radiated flour improved the protein digestibility and minerals extractability as well as the level of some amino acids.  Most of the amino acids were slightly stable against all treatments with few exceptions. Conclusion: Radiation of the flour followed by traditional processing greatly improved the nutritional quality of sorghum flour