After completing this lesson, you have learned to answer:

1
Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum

• After completing this lesson, you have
  learned to answer
• What is the major food value for which sorghum is
  cultivated?
• What are the various uses for which sorghum is
  grown?
• Why sorghum crop is popular as a fodder crop?
• Describe the nutritional features of grain
  sorghum?
• What is the importance of tannins in sorghum
  grain?

2
Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum

• After completing this lesson, you have
  learned to answer
• Why sorghum is better food than wheat for some
  persons?
• Why tannin sorghums are not good as livestock
  feed?
• What is HCN poisoning?
• How do you reduce HCN levels in sorghum forage?
• How will you manage to avoid HCN poisoning in
  cattle?

3
Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Overall in Asia sorghum is primarily used
for food comprising 66 of total utilization. The
rest is utilized for feed and industrial
uses. In India, sorghum is mostly used both for
food and feed. Recently sorghum is also used in
alcohol industry with the introduction of sweet
sorghums. In China, sorghum is used for food,
feed, and in the brewing industry to make beer.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Utilization of sorghum grain and stalk in
Asia
5
Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Utilization of sorghum grain and stalk in
Asia
6
Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Utilization of sorghum grain and stalk in
Asia
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum grain is used for human consumption
and as feed for animals. The plant stem and
foliage are used for green chop, hay, silage, and
pasture. In some areas the stem is used for hut
making. The plant remains, after the sorghum
heads are harvested, are used as fuel for
cooking.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum is traditionally used for food
products like roti (flat bread), bhakri (stiff
roti), and porridge or gruel.
Roti (flat bread) making
Sorghum porridge
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum flour mixed with wheat flour is
used for making baking products like breads,
cakes, muffins, cookies, and biscuits.
Making of cookies
Plum Cake
Sorghum cookies
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
There are sorghum types such as pop
sorghum and sweet sorghum that are slightly
roasted and eaten.
Pop sorghum
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum

• Sorghum is also used as fodder for livestock
  because of its
• wide adaptation
• rapid growth
• high green and dry fodder
• ratoonability
• drought tolerance.
• The crop residue (stover) after grain harvest is
  valuable source of fodder.

Transporting fodder sorghum
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum grain is used as animal feed in the
Americas, China and Australia. In India, when
rainy season sorghum heads are affected by
moulds, the grain is used as animal/poultry feed.
Sorghum grain as poultry feed
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum is cultivated for forage mostly in north
India and West Africa. Sorghum varieties and
hybrids are available exclusively for forage
purpose.
Forage Sorghum
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Forage sorghums are fed to animals as a green
chop or hay (quickly dried sorghum for fodder).
Chopping of forage sorghum for animal feeding
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Malted sorghum is used for brewing beer
in Ghana and Nigeria. Sorghums comparative
advantage would be its low output price,
especially in production regions of rainy season
sorghum in India over that of existing raw
material.
Beer made from sorghum grain
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Bio-fuel is produced from sweet sorghum
types. The stalks of sweet sorghums are used
for ethanol production. Ethanol is blended
with petrol to reduce the fuel costs.
Sweet sorghum
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sweet sorghum is concentrated and sterilized to
make natural syrup. The syrup is used in
confectionery industry as a sweetener. The
syrup also can be used instead of honey with
breakfast foods.
Sorghum Syrup
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
The juice extracted from sweet sorghum is
cleansed of impurities and concentrated by
evaporation in open pans into a clear, amber
colored, mild flavored syrup. The syrup retains
all of its natural sugars and other nutrients. It
is 100 percent natural and contains no chemical
additives of any kind.
Sorghum Syrup
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sweet sorghum juice can be concentrated to make
jaggery using the same method of making jaggery
from sugarcane. The yield is 3 to 3.5 t/ha and
is economical compared to sugarcane jaggery.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum is a principal source of energy,
protein, vitamins and minerals for millions of
the poorest people in the regions where it is
cultivated. The protein content is nearly equal
and is comparable to that of wheat and maize.
Nutritionally, grain sorghum is comprised of
11.3 protein and 3.3 fat.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Like other cereals, sorghum is predominantly
starchy. The average starch content of sorghum
ranges from 56 to 73 . The chemical nature of
the starch, is a factor that affects its
digestibility. Sorghum grain is relatively rich
in iron and phosphorus. Sorghum and millets in
general are rich sources of B-complex vitamins
but do not contain vitamin A and C.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Nutritional Information
Source USDA
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Tannins most commonly found in red wine and tea,
are found in sorghum grains particularly in red
grained types. These tannins contain compounds
called antioxidants. Antioxidants protect against
cell damage, a major cause for diseases and
aging. Sorghums with high levels of
antioxidants are important sources for use in
healthy foods.
Red grained sorghum
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Non-tannin sorghums may be healthier as
well. The protein and starch in grain sorghum
are more slowly digested than other cereals, and
slower rates of digestibility are particularly
beneficial for diabetics. Sorghum starch is
gluten-free. This makes sorghum a good substitute
for wheat flour to individuals who are unable to
digest food made from wheat.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum Feed Value Sorghum has a very hard
kernel. This makes it resistant to diseases and
insect damage but requires processing to enhance
its feeding efficiency. Sorghum is ground,
cracked, steam flaked, or roasted. These
processing techniques will enhance the
nutritional value of sorghum by 12-14.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum Feed Value Sorghum grain is a very good
feed provided the tannin content in the grain is
taken care. Sorghum varieties and hybrids differ
in palatability and nutritional value.
However, with poor quality protein, the value
of sorghum grain was only about 70 that of
maize. The efficiency of utilization of sorghum
for poultry is similar to maize or 10 to 15
lower, apparently depending on tannin content.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum

• Sorghum Feed Value
• Livestock feed manufacturers prefer white
  sorghums or low tannin pigmented sorghums.
• The tannin sorghums (red grained) when fed to
  livestock
• Feed efficiency is significantly reduced
  depending on the type of livestock,
  processing and the ration fed
• Less palatable (bitter) to animals if they
  have a choice
• Animals consume more feed to produce the
  same weight gains.

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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum
Sorghum Forage Young sorghum plants contain
poisonous chemical. When cattle, sheep and
goats graze such green and growing sorghum crop
may result in hydrocyanic acid (HCN) poisoning.
Danger of HCN poisoning is greatest at immature
stages of sorghum growth and decreases with
maturity.
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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum

• Sorghum Forage
• HCN levels are most potent in
• young plants under 6 weeks old
• young regrowth
• plants stressed due to drought
• high soil nitorgen level
• imbalance between soil nitrogen and
  phosphorus.
• Generally, cutting the plants and chopping, and
  sun-curing can reduce HCN levels, because the HCN
  can evaporate with the loss in forage moisture.

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Lesson 2 Uses and Nutritional Value of Sorghum

• Sorghum Forage
• Management to reduce HCN poisoning
• do not turn hungry livestock out on lush
  regrowth of sorghum. Feed some dry fodder
  first, then turn out in the afternoon
• do not graze until the regrowth is 18 to
  24 inches tall
• drying or ensiling or allowing the forage
  to mature will reduce its HCN content.