Sorghum
Sorghum is a diverse group of twenty-five species of cereal grains belonging to the Poaceae family, which includes other well-known grains like rice, wheat, and barley. Known by various names around the world, such as milo in the U.S. and jowar in India, the most widely cultivated species is Sorghum bicolor, recognized as a crucial food crop globally. Sorghum has a rich history, with archaeological evidence suggesting its domestication dates back around eight thousand years. It has been utilized for multiple purposes including food, livestock feed, biofuel production, and the manufacture of alcoholic beverages. The crop is particularly valued in Africa due to its resilience in hot and dry conditions, making it an important staple in regions with limited water resources.
In the United States, sorghum is primarily grown for animal fodder and ethanol production, with a significant portion used to create sorghum molasses—a traditional sweetener in Southern cuisine. Sorghum is also gaining popularity as a gluten-free alternative in baking, often used in combination with other gluten-free ingredients. Nutritionally, sorghum is high in antioxidants and contains beneficial compounds that may support heart health and reduce cholesterol levels. With its versatility and health benefits, sorghum is increasingly recognized as a valuable crop in modern diets.
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Sorghum
Sorghum is a group of twenty-five species of cereal grains that are used for an assortment of culinary, agricultural, and commercial purposes. According to the taxonomic system used by biologists to classify all living organisms by their shared characteristics, sorghum is a genus of plants that belong to the family Poaceae, which includes all varieties of true grasses. Other members of the Poaceae family include bamboo, barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sugarcane, and wheat.
Sorghum species may be used as food crops, sweeteners, biofuel, food for livestock, and in the manufacture of alcohols. Sorghum has many different names worldwide, including milo in the United States, guinea corn in West Africa, mtama in eastern Africa, kafir corn in South Africa, jowar in India, and kaoliang in China. The most widely cultivated species of sorghum is Sorghum bicolor, which is a key food crop around the world.
Overview
Like many cereal grains, sorghum has an ancient history as a domesticated crop. The oldest known archaeological evidence of sorghum cultivation was discovered at a site called Nabta Playa near the Egyptian-Sudanese border that has been dated to eight thousand years ago. In the first millennia BCE, sorghum became an important trade crop and moved to Asia along trade routes such as the Silk Road. It may have first arrived in North and South America via slave traders who brought it from Africa.
Many varieties of sorghum have been cultivated for specific purposes. Sorghum cultivars are divided into four categories of use: grain sorghums, which are used as an ingredient in foods; forage sorghums that are valuable as hay and animal fodder; biomass sorghums, which have seen heightened use in the biofuel industry; and sweet sorghums that are used to make sweeteners and alcohol.
In the United States, sorghum is primarily grown as fodder for farm animals and as a source of ethanol for alcohol beverages. Approximately 40 percent of domestically grown sorghum in the United States is used in the production of ethanol. It also has applications as a component in construction materials, fencing, pet food, clothing dyes, and broom making. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it was favored as the main ingredient in a type of sweetener called sorghum molasses that was particularly favored as an element of Southern cuisine.
Sorghum is a tall plant that is a favored crop in Africa due to its natural hardiness in hot, dry locations and reduced need for water. Sorghum has seen greater consumption in the twenty-first century due to its naturally gluten-free characteristics. When combined with binding agents like cornstarch, it can be used as a gluten-free replacement for wheat flours in baked goods such as breads, pancakes, and cakes. It can also be popped like popcorn. Unlike some other grains, the outer hulls of sorghum plants are edible, meaning that they are generally retained in cooking. As a result, cooked sorghum keeps most of its nutritional value. Sorghum is high in antioxidants, which are thought to lower a person's risk of developing cancer, diabetes, heart problems, and other diseases. In addition, sorghum contains naturally occurring compounds called policosanols that are thought to help reduce the buildup of lipids, including cholesterol.
Bibliography
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