Sorghum
Sorghum is an "ancient" cereal to be discovered, it is the fifth cereal in importance in the world agricultural economy and is naturally gluten -free.
The composureOne chemistry of sorghum is extremely interesting from a nutritional point of view since dried grains contains a lot of fiber (about 80%), proteins (7-14%), lipids (2-3%higher than that of wheat and rice but lower to that of corn) and above all carbohydrates (20-30% Amilosio and 70-80% Amilopectin).
The modest amount of proteins is however represented by some essential amino acids, but lacking in others such as thelysine, that we must associate with those of legumes to obtain the entire necessary range of amino acids.
For this composition, the sorghum is highly digestible and easily assimilable, as well as containing important mineral salts such as iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins such as niacin (vitamin B3) and vitamin and which make this food rich in nutritional properties.
It also contains natural and phytocomposed antioxidants such as phenolic acids, phytosterols and flavonoids.
Sorghum is part of the Cereal family, a family full of different "personality": there are many cereals and each corresponds to a different quality that allows various preparations.
In addition to representing a good source of energy in our diet (cereals in general should constitute at least 60% of the daily nutritional intake with about 330 kcal per 100 g of food) the main component of cereals (and pseudocereals, such as Quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat) are the complex carbohydrates, which are slightly transformed, during the metabolism, into simpler glucose molecules, useful to release energy but at the same time useful in not determining a sudden raising of the blood sugar values in blood (glycemic peak).
How is the Sorghum plant
Sorghum (Sorghum Vulgare) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the family ofGraminaceae, considered the fifth cereal in importance in the world agricultural economy after wheat, rice, corn and barley (6% of the total surface in cereals, 3% of the production).
From the Latin Surgo (getting up = speed of development) it was one of the first plants to be cultivated (there are archaeological finds that date back to 2200 BC), thanks to its ability to resist drought, conquering the West in the form of a sweetener (Sorghum Vulgare Var. Saccharatum). The current forms have been believed to have their origin in the tropical areas of central-eastern Africa and in the mountains of Central and Western China several thousand years ago.
The sorghum is mainly grown in the tropical areas of Asia and Africa, in North America (the USA are the major world producers), and in Central-South America. In Europe, however, grain sorghum is mainly cultivated in France and Italy (especially in Emilia Romagna and in the central regions such as Marche, Tuscany, Umbria) which is second only for surface.
In the subsistence agricultures of the third world, grains is used directly for human nutrition while in progressive agricultures it is intended for animal nutrition, in competition with that of corn, of which it has similar nutritional value. In the US, in the USA, a certain part is addressed to industrial transformation into starch, sugars, syrup, ethyl alcohol, oil, etc.
Like all the cereals, the parts of the plant used are represented by the fruit (cari oxide) for human diet or in the case of the whole plant as a forage sorgo.
The sorghum cultivated in our farm is without Tannini (chemicals belonging to polyphenols) the tannins, if present in significant quantities, behave likeanti nutritional substancesSince they hinder digestibility and therefore the assimilation of proteins, affecting the nutritional value of the food.
How do you use sorghum?
The sorghum can be consumed in grains to prepare soups and cold salads, or it can ground fine or whole grain.