PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL POTENTIAL OF SORGHUM [Sorghum bicolor (L.) MOENCH] FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

The paper aimed to demonstrate the functional potential of sorghum for human feeding and review theeffects of processing methods on the content of phenolic compounds and cereal protein quality. Sorghum is the fifthmost produced cereal crop worldwide and the amount of phytochemicals in grains has attracted the interest of healthprofessionals due to their antioxidant activity that could decrease the risks of chronic diseases. Grain processingenables cereal consumption by humans. However, cooking, dry heating, decortication and manufacture of bakeryproducts reduce the concentration of total phenolics and antioxidant activity. Protein quality of sorghum is largelyreduced by cooking due to the formation of disulphide-bonds in the storage proteins. However, digestibility wasnot significantly affected by dry heating and increased with germination and fermentation of grains. Studies aimingto evaluate and develop processes able to maintain the nutricional characteristics are essential for the inclusion ofsorghum in human feeding.