Caracterização da farinha do sorgo germinado em diferentes tempos

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), originally from Africa, stands out as a global agricultural crop ranking fifth among the most planted cereals worldwide. Although it is essential in regions such as Africa, the Middle East and India, but in Brazil sorghum remains little-known despite its wide use in animal and human nutrition. Compared to other crops, sorghum shows significant agronomic advantages in optimizing the use of water and soil nutrients. Furthermore, it also present nutritional advantages and can be an interesting alternative to replace other more common crops, due to their characteristics of being a gluten-free cereal, without the proteins gliadin and glutenin, but they face commercial challenges. Sorghum flour is rich in nutrients, presenting potential for use in human nutrition. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different germination times on the physical and chemical properties of sorghum flour. Germination of sorghum seeds was carried out at different periods, including 0 hours (control), 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 96 hours and 120 hours. Afterwards, the material was dried and processed into the flour. The analysis covered the evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of germinated sorghum flour, including the determination of pH, ash (%), acidity, color and yield. Furthermore, the nutritional composition of germinated sorghum flour was evaluated using the near infrared method (NIRS). Based on all the results obtained, it was observed that germinated flour demonstrates more significant benefits when subjected to the germination process for up to 72 hours.