Sorghum
Sorghum is an "ancient" cereal waiting to be discovered, it is the fifth most important cereal in the world agricultural economy and is naturally gluten-free.
The compositionThe chemistry of sorghum is extremely interesting from a nutritional point of view since the dried grain contains a lot of fiber (about 80%), proteins (7-14%), lipids (2-3% higher than that of wheat and rice but lower than that of corn) and above all carbohydrates (20-30% amylose and 70-80% amylopectin).
The modest amount of proteins is however represented by some essential amino acids, but lacking in others such as lysine, which must be combined with those of legumes to obtain the entire necessary range of amino acids.
Due to its composition, sorghum is highly digestible and easily assimilated, as well as containing important mineral salts such as iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins such as niacin (Vitamin B3) and vitamin E which make this food rich in nutritional properties.
It also contains natural antioxidants and phytocompounds such as phenolic acids, phytosterols and flavonoids.
Sorghum is part of the cereal family, a family full of different "personalities": there are many cereals and each corresponds to a different quality that allows for various preparations.
In addition to representing a good source of energy in our diet (cereals in general should constitute at least 60% of the daily nutritional intake with around 330 kcal per 100 g of food), the main component of cereals (and pseudocereals, such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat) are complex carbohydrates, which are transformed little by little, during metabolism, into simpler glucose molecules, useful for releasing energy but at the same time useful in do not cause a sudden increase in blood glucose values (glycemic peak).
What does the sorghum plant look like
Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the family Gramineae, considered the fifth most important cereal in the world agricultural economy after wheat, rice, corn and barley (6% of the total cereal surface, 3% of production).
From the Latin surgo (to rise = rapidity of development) it was one of the first plants to be cultivated (there are archaeological finds dating back to 2200 BC), thanks to its ability to resist drought, conquering the West in the form of a sweetener (Sorghum vulgare var. saccharatum). The current forms are believed to have had their origins in the tropical areas of central and eastern Africa and in the mountains of central and western China several thousand years ago.
Sorghum is cultivated mainly in the tropical areas of Asia and Africa, in North America (the USA is the world's largest producer), and in Central and South America. In Europe, however, grain sorghum is cultivated mainly in France and Italy (especially in Emilia Romagna and in the central regions such as Marche, Tuscany, Umbria) which is second only in terms of surface area.
In subsistence agriculture in the Third World, grain is used directly for human consumption, while in advanced agriculture it is used for animal consumption, in competition with that of corn, of which it has similar nutritional value. Furthermore, in the USA, a certain part is sent for industrial transformation into starch, sugars, syrup, ethyl alcohol, oil, etc.
Like all cereals, the parts of the plant used are represented by the fruit (caryopsis) for human consumption or in the case of the whole plant as fodder sorghum.
The sorghum grown on our farm is tannin-free (chemical substances belonging to polyphenols) tannins, if present in significant quantities, behave like anti-nutritional substances since they hinder the digestibility and therefore the assimilation of proteins, compromising the nutritional value of the food.
How is sorghum used?
Sorghum can be consumed in grains to prepare cold soups and salads, or it can be ground into fine or whole grains.