Abstract
Microbial biomass is cultivated for different technological applications including food processing, medicine, waste management, and research. The conventional growth media used are generally expensive thus necessitating the development of more affordable alternatives. In this study, four sorghum grain varieties, SESO 1, SESO 3, Epuripur, and Eyera, and their malt extracts were characterized which is aimed at determining their suitability for growing microbial biomass. The varieties had kernel length, kernel width, kernel thickness, and thousand kernel weigh equivalent to 3.8-4.3 mm, 3.2-4.5 mm, 2.4-2.8 mm, and 12.4-20.2 g, respectively. SESO 1 and Epuripur had corneous endosperm textures whereas those of SESO 3 and Eyera were intermediate and floury, respectively. Varieties had germinative energies > 90% and total defects < 8%. SESO 3 had the highest (p < 0.05) crude protein (10.8 ± 0.3%) and dietary fiber (22.5 ± 0.4%) whereas Epuripur had the highest (p < 0.05) starch (81.6 ± 0.0%) and crude fat (2.9 ± 0.1%). There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the ash contents (2.1 ± 0.0%). The total sugars, free amino nitrogen, condensed tannins, and pH of the malt extracts were 106-116 g/L, 70-78 mg/L, 0.1-0.6 mg/mL, and 5.5-5.7, respectively. The composition of the sorghum malt extracts suggests their potential for use in cultivating microbial biomass.
Highlights
Sorghum is a staple cereal whose cultivation is key in improving household nutrition, food security, and incomes, especially in developing countries
Epuripur and SESO 1 are low in tannins and suitable for lager beer brewing
The grains were assayed for defects, germinative energy, thousand kernel weight, kernel size, endosperm texture, and proximate composition prior to use in making sorghum malt extracts
Summary
Sorghum is a staple cereal whose cultivation is key in improving household nutrition, food security, and incomes, especially in developing countries. In Uganda, the National Semiarid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) developed sorghum varieties, SESO 1, SESO 3, and Epuripur, that are high yielding and disease tolerant [1]. Epuripur and SESO 1 are low in tannins and suitable for lager beer brewing. SESO 3 has a high concentration of tannins and is more suitable for food and local brewing [1]. Malted grain is of particular interest in food processing because of its better nutritional profile and lower antinutrient content compared to unmalted grain [2, 3]. It is popular in brewing and infant food formulations
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