Comparing sorghum and wheat whole grain breakfast cereals: Sensorial acceptance and bioactive compound content
Introduction
Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a whole grain cereal that is better known to Western societies as an animal feed rather than a human food source (Stefoska-Needham, Beck, Johnson, & Tapsell, 2015). In countries, such as Australia, United States and Brazil, this cereal is mainly used for animal feed production. In contrast, sorghum is produced and used for human consumption in countries of Africa, Asia and other semi-arid regions of the world (Taylor, Schober, & Bean, 2006).
The use of sorghum for human consumption in Western countries has increased due to its functional potential (Poquette, Gu, & Lee, 2014). Sorghum could be used as a substitute for conventional cereals due to its high bioactive compounds, minerals, dietary fiber, vitamin E and carotenoids content (Cardoso, Pinheiro, Martino, & Pinheiro-Sant’Ana, 2015a) and its potential to promote health and prevent diseases. This cereal can been used in the preparation of gluten-free products for individuals with celiac disease and other wheat intolerances (Stefoska-Needham et al., 2015). Furthermore, some sorghum genotypes contain tannins, which are bioactive compounds that could attract consumers interested in functional foods (Dlamini, Taylor, & Rooney, 2007).
Expanded extruded products, such as snacks and breakfast cereal, are very popular due to their crispness and ease of use. In the United States and other countries, including Brazil, these products are made typically with corn, although rice and wheat are also used. Although sorghum has a lower cost and is easier to produce than maize, until recently it had not been used for this purpose (Queiroz, Moraes, Martino, Paiva, & de Menezes, 2014). However, studies have been conducted in order to optimize the use of this cereal in the preparation of this type of product.
As far as we know, there are no studies on sensory analysis of whole-grain sorghum breakfast cereals compared to whole-grain wheat breakfast cereals. Sensory properties of a food product are important for its acceptance (Carson, Setser, & Sun, 2000). Sorghum-based products showed good acceptability (Carson et al., 2000, González, 2005, Shin, 1986). Therefore, sorghum has sensory potential to replace traditional cereals, being considered an excellent option for the food industry.
In addition, we found no studies that have assessed and compared the content of bioactive compounds in whole-grain sorghum and wheat breakfast cereals. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the sensory acceptance and the content of bioactive compounds of whole-grains sorghum and wheat breakfast cereals.
Section snippets
Raw material, preparation and storage
Sorghum grains (genotype SC319) were grown by Embrapa Milho e Sorgo in Nova Porteirinha, MG, Brazil, between May and September 2013. The whole grains were initially milled into flour using a disc mill model 3100 (Perten Instruments, Huddinge, Sweden) set at position 2, added with 10% sucrose as fine granulated sugar and 0.5% of iodized salt (NaCl), and processed in a co-rotating intermeshing twin-screw extruder model Evolum HT 25 (Clextral, Firminy, France) at constant screw speed of 600 rpm and
Sensory acceptance
Although little known for Brazilian people, the sensorial acceptance of whole-grain sorghum breakfast cereal (“I would eat it frequently”) was higher (p < 0.05) than the whole-grain wheat breakfast cereal (“I would eat it if it had available, but I do not force myself to eat it”) (Table 1).
Only the sorghum breakfast cereal was considered acceptable (Table 2) by presenting index of acceptance greater than 70% (Gularte, 2002). Although not evaluated in the present study, the most attractive colour (
Conclusion
The whole-grain sorghum breakfast cereal showed better sensory acceptance, higher 3-deoxyanthocyanidin and phenolic compounds content which contributes to its higher antioxidant capacity. The whole-grain wheat breakfast cereal presented higher vitamin E content than whole-sorghum breakfast cereal.
The consumption of whole-grain sorghum breakfast cereal should be encouraged since it had good sensory acceptance and is a source of bioactive compounds that can promote benefits to human health.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, Brazil), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES, Brazil), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil) and Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária – Milho e Sorgo (EMBRARA, Brazil) for financial support for conducting the study.
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