Advertisement
Advertisement

More Related Content

Advertisement

Similar to Moving beyond subsistence - Novel products from sorghum and their commercialization(20)

More from ICRISAT(20)

Advertisement

Recently uploaded(20)

Moving beyond subsistence - Novel products from sorghum and their commercialization

  1. Moving beyond subsistence: Novel products from sorghum and their commercialization Introduction Sorghum is traditionally an important food crop both in Africa and Asia and an important feed crop in the rest of the world. It is one of the cheapest sources of energy, protein, iron and zinc. Of late, sweet sorghum is becoming popular as feedstock for ethanol production. In the last two decades, the utilization of sorghum for alternative uses has been increasing and the challenge is to link the producers with the emerging demand centers for the crop. Commercialization is often the key to technology adoption and poverty alleviation. New cultivars, with novel traits of commercial importance are being bred and released for specialized uses. Characteristics of sorghum and cultivar development ICRISAT and NARS (both public and private sectors) partners are taking advantage of the varied uses of sorghum to add commercial value to the crop. The approach builds on the inherent genetic advantages of the crop –self fertilizing breeding system; availability of genetic male sterility and CMS-based hybrid technology; high biomass producing ability being C4 species; wide adaptability and drought tolerance - comparatively low water and fertilizer requirement, and yet, responsive to water and fertilizer. Over the years, 220 sorghum cultivars were released by partners in 44 countries using ICRISAT-bred sorghum germplasm. ICRISAT and other countries. Cultivars’ commercialization issues ICRISAT and partners are helping the drive towards commercialization, which has many aspects: Developing high-yielding hybrid parents and open-pollinated varieties that meet market standards Identifying markets and linking farmers with traders and bulk buyers Identifying novel traits for value addition and for export potential (eg, sorghum starch) Developing new sorghum-based products and addressing the issues in their value chain Dissemination of products and information through public-private partnerships Policy briefs and institutional reforms to encourage markets and commercialization. Food products remains largely untapped. One exception is Kenya, where ready-made sorghum ICRISAT is working to replicate the Kenyan success – modern processing techniques, attractive packaging and market promotions – in West Africa. ICRISAT in partnership with NARS is also exploring commercialization of old and such as injera (popular food in Ethiopia) and kisra (popular food in Sudan). Sorghum-based snacks, bakery products and sweets recipes are standardized and the Directorate of Sorghum Research in India is closely working with ITC India Ltd to popularize sorghum based products. diet-bread. The juice is used in the processing of vinegar, “wine” and syrup. Some high-end hotels have started serving rotis cities in India. Other opportunities – convenience foods and drinks, weaning foods, snacks such as pop sorghum, and instant beer powder are being explored in Africa in partnership with national programs. Poultry feed alternative sources of feed is apparent, for example, in India, where the poultry industry was growing at more than 7 innovative coalition of partners in India, China and Thailand. Ethanol for energy Sweet sorghum is a SMART crop that can be used for food, feed and fuel. In India, two distilleries, Rusni Distilleries (40 KLPD) in Andhra Pradesh and Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL, 30 KLPD) in Maharashtra use sweet sorghum as major feedstock for ethanol production. ICRISAT and partners are implementing a NAIP (ICAR)-funded project on sweet sorghum ethanol value chain development wherein a decentralized crushing- cum-syrup making unit (DCU) was established in Ibrahimbad village in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The syrup can be used for ethanol production and in food preparation. It is stackable up to 10 months. Alternative uses Rainy season sorghum grain is used for mushroom production in Thailand. Glumes of the red sorghum is used for extracting dye in China. Sorghum is used for traditional opaque beer. New technologies in Nigeria enable its use in clear lager beer and dark stout. Several breweries use sorghum malt on a commercial scale. Also used for nonalcoholic malt drinks Chemical analyses indicates that sorghum starch is comparable or better than maize. Grades and standards Grades and standards for determining quality (and price) are an essential developing appropriate standards for sorghum and millet. In 2001, under a USAID-funded project, developed a set of grain quality standards for sorghum that were inexpensive and easy to implement. Areas for further research even more opportunities for commercial sorghum products. Researchers at Texas A&M University, USA, are working to develop antioxidant- human health being antioxidants). Many sorghum landraces found in Nigeria and Sudan are said to contain high HarvestPlus is funding the research to produce high yielding sorghums with grain high in Fe and Zn content for addressing dietary A bright future Fifteen years ago, the sorghum industry in Africa had essentially one product – opaque beer. Today, a range of sorghum products is particular in India, national program efforts will soon translate into up-scaling of commercialization of various food products. Further up-scaling of the use of mold affected rainy season grain in poultry feed manufacturing and establishing grades for the grain and improving market channels will help to fetch better returns for the sorghum farmer and ethanol production from sweet sorghum offers a new dimension to sorghum utilization. Another important area that offers good potential is developing and marketing of commercial feed blocks made from bagasse and Acknowledgments of various sorghum scientists are thankfully acknowledged. New sorghum cultivars developed. Rusni Distilleries, India. Alcoholic beverages from sorghum. Ugali. Injera. Kisra. Food products from sorghum. Poultry bird fed with sorghum feed. Nov 2009
Advertisement