Characteristics of sorghum flour, manufacturing method. Benefits and harms when introduced into the diet, use as a culinary ingredient. The history of the product and the variety of cereals.
Sorghum flour is a milling of a grain with a high nutritional value. Color - milky, yellowish, with a creamy gray or beige tint; smell - neutral, fresh; the taste is slightly sweet; structure - free-flowing, monodisperse, with grain sizes up to 40 microns. The main difference from other types of cereals is the absence of gluten.
How is sorghum flour made?
Grain harvesting is mechanized. To do this, use combines with a built-in header, cutting head at a given height. In cool climates, the height of the stem is 80-100 cm, in African countries - up to 2.5 m. The cut heads are thrown into the body of a nearby transport or into the bunker of a combine. The production of sorghum flour differs depending on the growing conditions, the quality and volume of the crop and the equipment of the farm.
In African countries, where manual labor is cheap, cleaning is carried out immediately after collection. Workers select large stems, pebbles and organic waste are selected by hand, and only then they serve the grain to the winnower. Sorghum's stems and straws are more moisture-laden than corn or wheat and are difficult to separate.
How sorghum flour is made in the presence of mechanized installations
- Primary threshing is carried out in special centrifuge devices assembled from several cylindrical tanks with a screw inside. The clearances between the edges of the auger and the walls of the cylinders are artificially adjusted.
- Further, the intermediate raw material enters the sieve, which retains foreign inclusions. The grain falls on the pallet.
- Then the grain is washed and dried using a directed air flow. The seeds are laid out in a thin layer on a conveyor, which then feeds it to a centrifugal mill. The admissible humidity is 25%.
The temperature of the air stream used to process intermediate raw materials depends on the subsequent application. If you plan to cook sorghum flour, the heating limit is 70-90 ° C. For comparison: in preparation for sowing, drying is carried out at a temperature not higher than 40 ° C.
After threshing, cereal grains can be immediately used for making various dishes. However, African peoples cook porridge and soups not from long-cooking grain, but from grinding. Couscous is often made from it.
Knowing how to cook sorghum flour at home, you can add new dishes to your diet:
- If the crop was grown independently, then the panicles are dried, cleaned of leaves and twigs, and washed thoroughly. It is difficult to make a large amount of flour on your own - the process takes a lot of time. Not much, however, to add to baked goods, perhaps.
- The grains are soaked for 8-12 hours. It is better to acidify the liquid. This process is called fermentation. During this, tannins and alkaloids are washed out. Sorghum bought in a store is poured with water for 2-3 hours. Compounds that can have a negative effect on the body are removed during processing.
- Dry in an oven at a temperature of 40 ° C with a slightly open door. You can briefly fry in a dry frying pan - then sorghum flour will acquire a beautiful golden hue. The grain should be constantly mixed so as not to burn.
- The sorghum is cooled before grinding.
- To make flour, use any device suitable for this: blender, food processor, hand mill. Housewives in Africa grind seeds in a stone mortar, but without certain skills it is quite difficult to cope with this type of activity.
- The finished grinding is sieved several times. This helps to achieve a more uniform consistency and saturate it with oxygen, so that the dough is lighter and kneads well. Re-pass through a sieve just before preparation.
Read also how to make walnut flour.
Composition and calorie content of sorghum flour
In the photo sorghum flour
Modern cereals are grown from hybrid seeds. The seed was created in a natural way by crossing, without the use of biotechnology, therefore it does not contain GMOs.
Calorie content of sorghum flour - 357 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Proteins - 9.5 g;
- Fat - 1.2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 75 g;
- Dietary fiber - 1.9 g.
Allowable moisture content - up to 12 g.
Vitamins per 100 g
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.09 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.005 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.184 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.068 mg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 0.6 mg;
- Vitamin PP - 1.329 mg.
Macronutrients per 100 g
- Potassium, K - 145 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 6 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 31 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 1 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 87 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 0.97 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.43 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 9 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.47 mg.
Fats per 100 g
- Saturated - 0, 303 g;
- Monounsaturated - 0.385 g;
- Polyunsaturated - 0.95 g.
The benefits and harms of sorghum meal for the human body largely depends on the following compounds
- Omega-9 - has an anti-inflammatory effect and increases tissue plasticity. Lack of negative impact on memory functions, inhibits regeneration at the cellular level. Being overweight causes obesity and fertility problems.
- Linoleic acid - speeds up metabolic processes and reduces the possibility of developing diabetes mellitus. But if abused, there will be problems with digestion and dysbiosis.
- Omega-6 - inhibits the activity of pathogenic bacteria that colonize the surface of the epithelium, and stimulates the production of macrophages when meeting pathogens, has antioxidant properties. An excess leads to heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and blood clots.
Currently, the composition of sorghum flour has not been studied enough. However, it is already known that it contains anthocyanins, phytosterols, policosanol and tannin - a phenolic compound, the excess content of which has a negative effect on the human body. According to the established standards, GOST 8759-92, the percentage of this substance in flour is up to 0.3%, and in whole grain - up to 0.5%.
The benefits of sorghum flour
One of the most valuable properties of this type of grinding is the absence of gluten. There are no restrictions for the introduction into the diet of patients suffering from celiac disease - gluten intolerance. But this quality does not exhaust the benefits of sorghum flour.
Due to the high fiber content, the speed of peristalsis is accelerated, stagnation does not occur. The body is regularly cleansed, fecal stones are not formed. Dietary fiber has an adsorbing, antitoxic and antioxidant effect, prevents the formation of formations in the large intestine, and reduces the incidence of hemorrhoids. They create favorable conditions for the vital activity of useful flora.
The whole grains are crushed, and the surface is covered with a waxy layer, which contains policosanol, which has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. Reduces the permeability of vascular walls and increases tone, prevents cholesterol buildup, prevents diabetes.
Useful properties of sorghum
- slows down the aging process;
- enhances immunity;
- normalizes blood clotting;
- accelerates nerve-impulse conduction;
- stabilizes the heart rhythm;
- improves blood quality;
- increases the level of hemoglobin.
Sorghum flour prevents the development of obesity, accelerates weight loss, and normalizes metabolic processes. Due to slow digestion, it is absorbed for a long time and blocks the feeling of hunger.
Research is underway to incorporate sorghum meals into the diet of cancer-fighting patients. A positive effect on the body has already been proven during the course of chemotherapy.
