Potential food applications of sorghum ( <i>Sorghum bicolor</i> ) and rapid screening methods of nutritional traits by spectroscopic platforms

Abstract

Sorghum is a drought-resistant crop widely spread in tropical regions of the American, African, and Asian continents. Sorghum flour is considered the main alternative for wheat flour, and it exhibits gluten-free nature. Generally, conventional wet chemical methods are used to analyze the nutritional profile of sorghum. Since many sorghum plants are available in breeding grounds, the application of conventional methods has limitations due to high cost and time consumption. Therefore, rapid screening protocols have been introduced as nondestructive alternatives. The current review highlights novel and portable devices that can be used to analyze the nutritional composition, color parameters, and pest resistance. Sorghum is often a traditional food item with minimal processing, and the review elaborates on emerging food applications and feasible food product developments from sorghum. The demand for gluten-free products has been rapidly increasing in developed countries. In order to develop food products according to market requirements, it is necessary to screen high-quality sorghum plants. Rapid analysis techniques effectively select the best sorghum types, and the novel tools have outperformed existing conventional methods.