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The acid hydrolysis process was used to create novel millet starch-based nanoparticles from three different sources: sorghum, foxtail millet and pearl millet. An environment-friendly, risk-free ultrasonication technique was used for encapsulating beta carotene in starch nanoparticles to create nanocapsules that will shield the bioactivity of beta carotene in gastrointestinal conditions and increase its accessibility after consumption. Formulated nanocapsules were examined for zeta potential, particle size and encapsulation efficiency. The particle dimensions of beta carotene-loaded sorghum (SSB), foxtail millet (FSB), and pearl millet (PSB) starch nanoparticles were 416, 399 and 587 nm with zeta potential of -17.98, -19.03 and -22.31 mV respectively. Encapsulation efficiencies of nanocapsules were found to be 85.83, 89.65 and 78.32 % for SSB, FSB and PSB respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also harnessed as a confirmatory tests towards the presence of beta carotene in nanocapsules. Beta carotene encapsulation in starch nanoparticles was also demonstrated using ATR-FTIR which revealed broad characteristic peaks at 3000, 1086 and 885 cm -1 that occur without any discernible interaction. Intestinal juice with higher beta carotene content ensured controlled release in the intestine. Encapsulated beta carotene showed more bioactive properties in terms of antioxidant activity as compared to free beta carotene form., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sorghum is considered a promising food security crop and remarkable rich source of bioactive components including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. Sorghum phenolics exhibited numerous protective effects against multiple chronic diseases. However, there is no review of the effects of sorghum phenolics on gastrointestinal (GI) health. Specifically, recent studies have highly suggested that sorghum phenolics can maintain gastrointestinal homeostasis and enhance microbial diversity and richness. Furthermore, sorghum phenolics showed GI anticancer effects in both in vitro and in vivo studies against colorectal and esophageal cancers. Treatment of GI related human cancer cell lines stimulated apoptosis and suppressed proliferation. Sorghum intake and extracts treatments reduced intestinal oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in human and in vivo studies. In addition, understanding the role and mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal health benefits of sorghum phenolics is crucial to determine treatment strategies of different GI diseases., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Kafirin in sorghum inhibits starch digestion and exhibits antioxidant properties, however its potential in food industry remains unexplored. Therefore, the study was aimed to explore and improve the potential of kafirin as natural carbohydrate blocker using papain (6 NFU/mL) and/or infrared treatment (220 °C/3 min). Results indicated that the combined treatment, PIR (infrared + papain) is the most efficient treatment to modify kafirin. PIR generated a new ∼37 kDa high molecular weight moiety in kafirin with a crystal size of 157.44 Å. All samples showed superior antioxidant activity post-treatments, with PIR exhibiting highest scavenging activity from 31.09 to 82.97%, 15.09 to 42.82%, and 25.92 to 38.58% for DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS, respectively. PIR-modified kafirin limited malondialdehyde production, and increased α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition. Incorporation of 7.5% kafirin in corn starch increased resistant starch from 5.09 to 21.04% after cooking, which suggests potential of kafirin in development of diabetic-friendly food formulations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Chinese steamed bread (CSB) is one of the most important staple foods in China and is also popular in South-East Asia. Developing functional CSB could improve people's resistance to inflammatory and non inflammatory diseases. This work investigated the effect of sorghum bran addition on antioxidant activities, sensory properties, and in vitro starch digestibility of Chinese southern-style steamed bread (CSSB)., Results: In this study, the enhanced CSSB with 0-200 g kg -1 of fine black and tannin (sumac) sorghum bran addition was developed. A small change in phenol content and antioxidant activity was observed at various stages in the processing procedure before steaming. Moreover, a high retention of antioxidant phenolics CSSB with sorghum bran addition was observed. Sorghum bran addition significantly increased the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of CSSB by 4.5-10 times, on average, relative to control. Sorghum bran addition significantly also increased the content of resistant starch, and significantly decreased in vitro starch digestibility in CSSB; these effects were likely due to the joint inhibitory effect of tannins and ferulic acid on starch digestibility. Interestingly, the sorghum bran breads scored higher or similar to control in sensory color preference and overall appearance, but lower on most textural and mouthfeel attributes., Conclusion: Sorghum bran addition significantly increased the antioxidant activity of CSSB and significantly decreased starch digestibility. Moreover, the color and appearance properties were maintained or improved. However, the sensorial textural attributes were negatively impacted by the sorghum bran substitutions. Strategies to improve the texture of bran-fortified breads would likely enhance their consumer acceptability. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Sorghum seeds can discolor during storage. Treatment of seeds with citric acid improves sensory quality and antioxidant activity. This study compared the differences in phenotypic and antioxidant activity between citric acid-treated and water-treated sorghum seeds. The study used transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches to investigate the regulatory mechanisms. The ∆a, ∆b and ∆l values of citric acid-treated sorghum seeds significantly increased after 6 months of storage. The SOD, POD and CAT enzyme activities of the citric acid-treated group were 1.94, 1.91 and 2.45 times higher than those of the control, respectively. The joint transcriptome and metabolome analysis showed that the citric acid-induced changes were mainly focused on the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Citric acid treatment up-regulated CHS, ANR, MYB and bHLH genes and promoted flavonoid accumulation. In conclusion, citric acid treatment promotes flavonoid accumulation, delays sorghum seed discoloration, and enhances antioxidant activity and storage life., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Zhenhua Li reports financial support, administrative support, article publishing charges, equipment, drugs, or supplies, and travel were provided by Agriculture of Guizhou Province and the Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding of Grain and Oil Crops of Guizhou Province. Zhenhua Li reports a relationship with Agriculture of Guizhou Province and the Key Laboratory of Molecular Breeding of Grain and Oil Crops of Guizhou Province. that includes: funding grants, non-financial support, speaking and lecture fees, and travel reimbursement. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Microplastics (MPs), an emerging pollutant of global concern, have been studied in the Hongyingzi sorghum production base. In this study, we investigated MPs in the surface soil (0-10 cm) and deeper soil (10-20 cm) in the Hongyingzi sorghum production base. Pollution characterization and ecological risk evaluation were conducted. The results revealed that the MP abundance ranged from 1.31 × 10 2 to 4.27 × 10 3 particles/kg, with an average of 1.42 ± 1.22 × 10 3 particles/kg. There was no clear correlation between the MP abundance and soil depth, and the ordinary kriging method predicted a range of 1.26 × 10 3 -1.28 × 10 3 particles/kg in most of the study area, indicating a relatively uniform distribution. Among the 12 types of MPs detected, acrylates copolymer (ACR), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were the most frequently detected. These MPs primarily originated from packaging and advertising materials made from polyurethane and polyester used by Sauce Wine enterprises, as well as plastic products made from polyolefin used in daily life and agricultural activities. The particle size of MPs was primarily 20-100 μm. Overall, the proportion of the 20-100 μm MP was 95.1% in the surface soil layer and 86.7% in the deeper soil layer. Based on the pollution load index, the MP pollution level in the study area was classified as class I. Polymer hazard index evaluation revealed that the risk levels at all of the sampling sites ranged from IV to V, and ACR, PU, and PMMA were identified as significant sources of polymer hazard. Potential ecological index evaluation revealed that most of the soil samples collected from the study area were dangerous or extremely dangerous, and the surface soil posed a greater ecological risk than the deeper soil. These findings provide a scientific foundation for the prevention, control, and management of MP pollution in the Hongyingzi sorghum production base., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sorghum is a significant source of polyphenols, whose content, antioxidant properties and bioaccessibility may be modulated by digestion. Studies have reported sorghum polyphenol changes after simulated digestion. However, the effects of simulated digestion on processed, pigmented sorghum are unknown. This study investigated the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of black (BlackSs and BlackSb), red (RedBa 1 , RedBu 1 , RedBa 2 , RedBu 2 ) and white (WhiteLi 2 and White Li 2 ) sorghum samples using a Caco-2 in vitro model. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-online 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (UHPLC-online ABTS)-and quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography mass spectra (QTOF LC-MS) facilitated the identification of digested and transported compounds. Simulated digestion showed increased bioaccessibility and total phenolic content (TPC) for BlackSs by 2-fold. BlackSs and BlackSb exhibited high antioxidant capacities, with variations dependent on processing in other varieties. Kaempferol-3- O -xyloside exhibited a 4-fold increase in TPC following digestion of processed BlackSs and BlackSb but was absent in the others. BlackSs, BlackSb, and RedBu 1 revealed twelve bioaccessible and Caco-2 transported compounds not previously reported in sorghum, including trans-pinostilbene, tryptophan and maackin a. This study demonstrates that in vitro digestion increases the bioaccessiblity of sorghum polyphenols through the process of cellular biotransformation, possibly improving transport and bioactivity in vivo.

3-Deoxyanthocyanidins, a rare class of anthocyanins, have gained increasing popularity due to their notable stability and bioactive properties. The enhanced stability of these colorants is attributed to the absence of a hydroxyl group at the C-3 position. This absence leads to unique response mechanisms to environmental factors, such as pH, temperature, and light exposure. It also results in different interactions with biopolymers and co-pigments. Sorghum is the only dietary source of 3-deoxyanthocyanidins, which predominantly accumulate in the bran where the cell walls are extensively cross-linked. This restricts their extraction, which is the premise of application. Therefore, this review compares the extraction efficiencies of 3-deoxyanthocyanidins using conventional and innovative methods, discusses the qualification and quantification of such colorants, and summarizes factors affecting their stability, highlighting the differences in the behavior of anthocyanins and 3-deoxyanthocyanidins influenced by these factors. This work provides insights for extracting and stabilizing 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and proposes their potential applications in the food system., (© 2024 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Current study provides insight on the feasibility of polylactic acid (PLA) integrated with (1:1 ratio) of essential oils belonging to Ocimum gratissimum (OG) and Mentha spicata (MS) for prevention of major stored insect pests (Sitophilus oryzae and Oryzophilus surinamensis) in Sorghum and Pearl millet. A combination of OG and MS essential oils (1:1) was incorporated into the PLA polymer matrix. Further, SPME analysis of synthesized PLA showed the presence of volatiles corresponding to carvone (6.44 %) and thymol (6.22 %). Synthesized PLA composites were tested against S. oryzae and O. surinamensis using Sorghum and Pearl millets, and insect mortality was equivalent to commercial super bags (CSB). The head space oxygen decreased significantly in CSB and slightly in PLA bags. Thickness of EO blended PLA composite was increased (99 μm), tensile strength (23.94 MPa), WVTR (1.42 g/m 2 .hr) analysis, significant folding ability, and swelling capacity (0.24 %) showed slight reduction in composite film. TGA showed good thermal stability (334˚C) and XRD displayed the increased crystallinity (38.35 %) in PLAOM films, SEM and FTIR analysis of the synthesized composite films revealed complete homogenization of EO and PLA matrix. In addition, SEM analysis of insects (control & treated) revealed less topology changes in the elytra. Biodegradability study confirmed the weight loss in PLA films. Hence, current approach of using composite EO's with PLA offers sustainable solution for prevention of infestation during storage of millets., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors gave the declaration that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sweet sorghum is a promising biomaterial, considering its nutritional and energy value, unpretentiousness in cultivation and its promising economic parameters of processing. The concentrate of sweet sorghum juice is an outstanding material for food purposes, meeting the emerging trends of the industry. This review presents data on the physicochemical properties of sweet sorghum juice and sirup, as well as technological details on the processes of its pretreatment, clarification, and concentration. Physicochemical properties of raw juice of sweet sorghum, as well as purified juice and sirup, are discussed in terms of material pretreatment, methods of clarification and concentration, and storage conditions. Comprehensive theoretical principles, methodological details and explanations of the consistency of sweet sorghum juice processing are given. This work focuses entirely on the relationship between sweet sorghum juice treatment methods and its composition and provides versatile source of information for food science community, farmers, and entrepreneurs.

Backgrounds: Phosphorus is a critical nutrient in agriculture, influencing plant growth and nutritional quality., Objectives: This study, uniquely designed to investigate the effects of phosphorus (P) fertilization levels, sorghum cultivars, and growing locations on phytochemical content and antioxidant activity in sorghum grains, employed four sorghum cultivars (Hakeka, P954063, Tabat, and Tetron) grown under three P levels (0P, 1P, 2P) in two locations (Gezira and White Nile) in Sudan., Methods: In this study, four sorghum cultivars were grown in two distinct locations in Sudan, employing a split-plot design with three (P) fertilization levels. P was applied as triple super phosphate directly with the seeds, and additional fertilization included urea applied in two split doses. At physiological maturity, representative sorghum panicles were harvested, processed, and analyzed for bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities using standard extraction and quantification techniques such as Folin-Ciocalteu for phenolics and colorimetric flavonoid assays. Antioxidant activities were assessed through various assays, including DPPH and FRAP. Statistical analyses were performed using a three-way ANOVA to examine the effects of cultivar, P level, and location on the measured parameters, supplemented by multivariate analysis to further elucidate the interactions between these factors., Results: Significant interactions (p<0.001) were observed among cultivars, P levels, and locations for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), carotenoids, tannins, and various antioxidant activity measures (DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, TRP, H2O2). P fertilization significantly increased all measured phytochemicals and antioxidant activities compared to non-treated cultivars, except for H2O2, which decreased with P application. Among cultivars, Hakeka consistently exhibited the highest TFC, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activities (DPPH, FRAP, TRP, ABTS), particularly at the 2P level. P954063 showed the highest TPC and tannin concentrations. Tetron generally had the lowest phytochemical and antioxidant levels. White Nile showed higher TPC, carotenoids, DPPH, FRAP, TRP, and ABTS levels, while Gezira had higher TFC, tannins, and H2O2 concentrations. The impact of phosphorus fertilization often varies between locations. Strong positive correlations were found between TPC and all antioxidant assays (r = 0.68-0.90) and total carotenoids and antioxidant activities (r = 0.73-0.93)., Conclusions: This study recommended cultivating the Tabat variety with 2P doses in Gezira. In addition, the Hakeka cultivar showed the highest increases in total flavonoid content, carotenoids, and antioxidant activities, particularly under the highest P level (2P). The findings highlight that P plays a critical role in enhancing sorghum's nutritional and health-promoting qualities, which are essential for leveraging this staple crop for food and nutrition security strategies in semi-arid regions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Elsafy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Identification of high carotenoid germplasm is crucial to assist breeders in provitamin-A biofortification of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench). High-performance liquid chromatography is the gold standard for carotenoid quantification, however, it is not feasible for large scale phenotyping due to its high cost and low throughput. In this study, we tested the feasibility of using grain color as a high-throughput method of carotenoid biofortification breeding. We hypothesized that visual, color-based selection can be an effective strategy to identify high-carotenoid accessions. Yellow grain had significantly higher carotenoid content than red, brown, and white grain. The degree of yellowness could distinguish the presence or absence of carotenoids, but could not distinguish carotenoid concentrations within yellow-only accessions. The degree of luminosity of the grain, however, was able to better predict carotenoid concentrations within yellow-only accessions. Genome-wide association studies identified significant marker-trait associations for qualitative and quantitative grain color traits and carotenoid concentrations near carotenoid pathway genes-ZEP, PDS, CYP97A, NCED, CCD, and LycE-three of which were common between grain color and carotenoid traits. These findings suggest that using grain color as a method for screening germplasm may be an effective high-throughput selection tool for prebreeding and early-stage breeding in carotenoid biofortification., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cultured meat (CM) has been hailed as a sustainable future meat production technology that requires scaffolds to support cell growth. Plant proteins are the most promising raw materials for edible scaffolds but remain underutilized. In this study, kafirin, an abundant, readily available, and nonallergenic prolamin extracted from red sorghum, was explored to fabricate 3D porous sponge-like scaffolds via a simple template-leaching method. The scaffolds featured fully interconnected pores with a high porosity of approximately 84% and mechanical properties of 1.0-1.9 kPa. Porcine skeletal muscle cells (PSCs) and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) could adhere, proliferate, and differentiate on protein scaffolds. Thereafter, a hybrid CM was produced by culturing porcine ADSCs on kafirin scaffolds for 12 days, integrating plant protein-based and cell-based alternatives. The anthocyanins found in red sorghum contributed to the hybrid CM with meat-like color and antioxidative benefits. Moreover, the hybrid CM prototype demonstrated promising potential in providing higher protein content (22.9%) and unique mouthfeel and appearance characteristics, highlighting the viability of sorghum prolamin in promoting CM production.

The concentration of copper in the soil increased with the intensification of agricultural activities, mainly in grape production areas and orchards as a result of the application of pesticides. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi make up the microbial biomass of the soil and appear as an alternative to be researched for the development of plants in an environment contaminated with copper. The purpose of this pot study was to analyze the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the development and content of copper in corn and sorghum plants. Soil treatments were: without inoculum (control) and two arbuscular mycorrhizal (Acaulospora scrobiculata and Rhizoglomus clarum) and five doses of copper (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg Cu kg-1 soil); with seven repetitions. Plant height, stem diameter, number of tillers, root volume, shoot and root dry weight yields, shoot, root and grain Cu concentrations, pseudo-total soil Cu, percentage of mycorrhizal colonization and relative mycorrhizal efficiency index in reducing Cu concentration in root and shoot of corn and sorgum were evaluated. Morphological parameters of sorghum and corn were reduced with at high Cu doses in the soil, and the inoculation with Acaulospora scrobiculata and Rhizoglomus clarum resulted in greater development and lower Cu concentration in the dry mass of the shoot and root parts sorghum and corn plants.

Food-to-food fortification and fermentation are effective strategies to enhance the product functionality and nutrient density of infant complementary foods. However, their effectiveness hinges on a deep understanding of ingredient combinations. Our research focused on the physicochemical and techno-functional aspects of sorghum-baobab blends, comparing two processes: 'co-ferment-cook' and 'ferment-cook-fortify'. The results show that both techniques improved the water absorption capacity by 17-20% and the water solubility index increased by over 100% while maintaining a comparable nutritional composition and energy density. The calculated energy density (2048.8-2345 kJ day -1 ) was sufficient for both blends for infants 6-11 months old with an average breast milk intake. Viscosity, another crucial factor for complementary feeding, improved significantly ( P < 0.05) after co-ferment-cook compared to ferment-cook-fortify reaching a value suitable for children older than 18 months. Starch digestibility increased with co-ferment-cook, while protein digestion increased with fortified non-fermented foods. In conclusion, our findings emphasize that combining fermentation and fortification processing steps is optimal for balancing the nutritional and techno-functional properties of sorghum porridges for infant complementary foods. Processing parameters must be optimized to reach the viscosity suitable for complementary feeding at the assigned soluble solid contents for the age group 6-24 months.

Complete valorization of lignocellulosic biomass is crucial for bio-based biorefineries to fulfil the circular bioeconomy concept. However, the existence of lignin carbohydrate complexes (LCC) in biomass hinders the simultaneous fractionation of biomass components, such as lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose, for subsequent biorefining processes. This study explores for the first time a novel approach tailored for the deconstruction of sorghum biomass components through efficient breakdown of LCC. Selective targeting of the major LCC linkages binding xylan and lignin was performed using an ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent under mild treatment conditions. This process yielded a maximum cellulose content of 98.3 %, hemicellulose content of 95.2 %, and lignin content of 94.6 %, with the highest purities of 99.43 %, 96.71 %, and 98.12 %, respectively. FTIR, 2D-HSQC NMR and XRD analyses confirmed that most of the structural properties of lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose are retained. The lignocellulosic components were successfully valorised to cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin nanoparticles with mean sizes of 64.5 ± 6 nm, 72.8 ± 4 nm and 57.2 ± 8 nm respectively, with good thermal stability. The proposed green process enables the complete utilization of agro-residue feedstock for the preparation of biomass-derived nanoparticles, thereby accelerating the economic and industrial prospects of bio-based biorefineries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In this study, phenolic profile/content was analyzed by high-resolution untargeted metabolomics after short germination (72 h) and seedling growth (144 h), using three sorghum genotypes varying in tannin content (IS 29569, Macia and IS 30400). In vitro antioxidant capacity and phenolic bioaccessibility were determined by microplate-based and INFOGEST methods, respectively. A total of 58 % annotated compounds were found in all genotypes; and phenolic acids and flavonoids represent more than 80 % of sorghum total abundance. PCA analysis showed higher phenolic variability in germination times (72 %) than genotypes (51 %). Germination reduced total ion abundance (-7 %) and free:bound phenolic compounds ratio (2.4-1.1), but antioxidant capacity remained constant. These results indicate the cell matrix-phenolic decomplexation, with the free compounds were quickly consumed after radicle emergence. Germination increased phenolic bioaccessibility (mainly in oral phase) but reduces flavonoids contents in gastric/intestinal digestion steps. This work can stimulate seed germination as a viable option for sorghum-based foods development, with improved nutritional and bioactive properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the present study to prepare hydroxypropyl derivatives (HP) instant (partially cold-water swell-able) starches via extrusion technique (Ex) from sorghum and corn. The native and hydroxypropylated (at propylene level 5 % and 12 %) starch extrudates were evaluated for functional, structural, thermal and rheological properties. The development of extrudates provides ease to industries as they are easily soluble in aqueous mediums and does not require any prior heating. The degree of substitution (DS) for all extrudates varied between 0.0083 and 0.1530 which is under limit and save to consume. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that all extrudates exhibited V-type pattern while the intensity of peaks increased due to hydroxypropylation. The starch extrudates showed gel-like behavior since storage modulus (G') was greater than loss modulus (G″). Non-Newtonian shear thinning behavior was observed for all extrudates. At lower temperature, HP-Ex at higher substitution level (12 %) demonstrated higher complex viscosity than native and low-substituted extrudates. Creep recovery of HP-Ex dispersion was more pronounced than native extrudates suggesting elastic nature of sorghum and corn starch extrudates. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results revealed that HP-Ex were observed to gelatinize at lower temperatures and needed lower enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔH gel ) because of their weakened structure after modification., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There is no conflict of interest to declare for this article and the manuscript is approved by all the authors for publication., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Elucidating the combined exposure of agrochemicals is essential for safeguarding human health and agroecosystem safety. A rapid and high-sensitivity UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantification of nine compounds in sorghum by an assembly-line optimization process with a limit of quantitation of 0.001 mg/kg. The concentration variation of atrazine, quinclorac, fluroxypyr-meptyl and metabolites was reflected by terminal magnitudes of ≤0.0665 mg/kg. Additionally, atrazine was dealkylated to deethyl atrazine and desethyl desisopropyl atrazine at concentrations of 0.0014-0.0058 mg/kg during the sorghum harvest. Acceptable health hazardous of atrazine and quinclorac for all life cycle populations were comparatively assessed via deterministic and probabilistic models, in which atrazine gained an 83.55 % share of cumulative dietary risks. Rural residents had significantly higher risks than urban residents, and children were the most sensitive group. Despite the low health risks, combined exposure to herbicides and their metabolites should be continuously stressed, given their cumulative amplification effects., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Sorghum, a gluten-free carbohydrate source with high antioxidants and resistant starch, contains anti-nutrients like phytic acid, tannin, and kafirin. Interactions with starch and proteins result in polyphenol-starch, starch-kafirin, and tannin-protein complexes. These interactions yield responses such as V-type amylose inclusion complexes, increased hydrophobic residues, and enzyme resistance, reducing nutrient availability and elevating resistant starch levels. Factors influencing these interactions include starch composition, structure, and Chain Length Distribution (CLD). Starch structure is impacted by enzymes like ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthases, and debranching enzymes, leading to varied chain lengths and distributions. CLD differences significantly affect crystallinity and physicochemical properties of sorghum starch. Despite its potential, the minimal utilization of sorghum starch in food is attributed to anti-nutrient interactions. Various modification approaches, either direct or indirect, offer diverse physicochemical changes with distinct advantages and disadvantages, presenting opportunities to enhance sorghum starch applications in the food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report there are no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound with various biological activities. However, poor water solubility and storage stability limit its application. In this context, sorghum peptides were used to encapsulate CAPE. Sorghum peptides could self-assemble into regularly spherical nanoparticles (SPNs) by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonds. Solubility of encapsulated CAPE was greatly increased, with 9.44 times higher than unencapsulated CAPE in water. Moreover, the storage stability of CAPE in aqueous solution was significantly improved by SPNs encapsulation. In vitro release study indicated that SPNs were able to delay CAPE release during the process of gastrointestinal digestion. Besides, fluorescence quenching analysis showed that a static quenching existed between SPNs and CAPE. The interaction between CAPE and SPNs occurred spontaneously, mainly driven by hydrophobic interactions. The above results suggested that SPNs encapsulation was an effective approach to improve the water solubility and storage stability of CAPE., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sorghum, a globally grown gluten-free cereal, is used mainly as an animal feed in developed countries regardless of its potential for human consumption. In this study, we utilized nontargeted lipidomics to thoroughly analyze, compare, and characterize whole-grain lipids in six sorghum cultivars (cv) grown in a single field trial in Australia: Buster, Bazley, Cracker, Liberty, MR43, and Tiger. In total, 194 lipid molecular species representing five major lipid classes were identified. Multivariate analysis unveiled distinct lipid profiles among the cultivars. The most distinct lipid profile belonged to cv. MR43. The lower ω-6 to ω-3 ratio and optimal P/S ratio in cv. Bazley reflect this as a valuable source of balanced essential fatty acids in the diet. The novel bioactive lipids known as FAHFAs (fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids) were identified and characterized in sorghum grains. These findings further emphasize the potential of whole-grain sorghum as a basis for new health-promoting food products.

Coarse cereals have been promoted for their health benefits, and sourdough is used to improve their steamed bread sensory acceptance. However, grains vary in dough physiochemical properties and steamed bread-making performance. This study investigated the effects of yeast and sourdough fermentation on the biochemical, textural, and flavor properties of dough and steamed bread of eight grain types. Results indicated that sourdough dough had a lower pH and higher total titrable acidity compared with yeast group. The texture of sourdough-steamed bread was significantly improved with reduced hardness and enhanced springiness. Microstructure revealed that sourdough resulted in starch surface corrosion and less amylopectin recrystallization. Aldehydes, alcohols, and esters are more dominant in sourdough group than yeast group. Foxtail millet and sorghum steamed breads exhibited the highest performances in texture, flavor, and sensory evaluation. This could provide a theoretical basis for producing coarse cereal products with desirable quality., (© 2024 Institute of Food Technologists.)

Cereal grains play an important role in human health as a source of macro- and micronutrients, besides phytochemicals. The metabolite diversity was investigated in cereal crops and their milling fractions by untargeted metabolomics ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) of 69 samples: 7 species (barley, oat, pearl millet, rye, sorghum, triticale, and wheat), 23 genotypes, and 4 milling fractions (husk, bran, flour, and wholegrain). Samples were also analyzed by in vitro antioxidant activity. UHPLC-MS/MS signals were processed using XCMS, and metabolite annotation was based on SIRIUS and GNPS libraries. Bran and husk showed the highest antioxidant capacity and phenolic content/diversity. The major metabolite classes were phenolic acids, flavonoids, fatty acyls, and organic acids. Sorghum, millet, barley, and oats showed distinct metabolite profiles, especially related to the bran fraction. Molecular networking and chemometrics provided a comprehensive insight into the metabolic profiling of cereal crops, unveiling the potential of coproducts and super cereals such as sorghum and millet as sources of polyphenols.

Addressing water scarcity and the need for high-quality forage in arid regions necessitates the development of efficient irrigation techniques. This study assesses the impact of various irrigation methods on the performance and irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE) of sorghum cultivars under water-deficit conditions in a semi-arid region of Iran during the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. Three irrigation methods-variable alternate furrow irrigation (AFI), fixed alternate furrow irrigation (FFI), and conventional furrow irrigation (CFI)-were evaluated alongside three levels of drought stress (severe stress: I50, moderate stress: I75, and full irrigation: I100) and two sorghum cultivars. The results indicated that increasing drought stress, as well as the transition from CFI to AFI and FFI, led to reductions in metabolizable energy yield (MEY), plant height, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Conversely, there were increases in leaf-to-stem ratio, digestible organic matter, metabolizable energy content, crude protein content, and IWUE for metabolizable energy production (IWUEME). The highest MEY (211.68 GJ ha-1) was recorded under CFI×I100, albeit at the expense of maximum water consumption (7261 m3 ha-1). Meanwhile, the AFI×I50 and FFI×I50 treatments exhibited the highest IWUEME (44.46 MJ m-3) and metabolizable energy content (8.736 MJ kg-1), respectively, while conserving over 60% of water. Hybrid Speedfeed outperformed in forage yield and IWUEME, while cultivar Pegah excelled in forage quality. Transitioning from CFI to AFI or FFI resulted in decreased forage yield but improved forage quality and IWUEME. Principal component analysis revealed that leaf-to-stem ratio and plant height serve as effective indicators for assessing the nutritive value and forage yield of sorghum, respectively. Considering the overall results, cultivating the hybrid Speedfeed under AFI×I75 conditions is recommended for optimal water utilization, achieving satisfactory forage yield and quality, and enhancing IWUE.

Background: Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been widely used in the processing of sorghum grain (SG) because it can produce products with improved sensory characteristics. To clarify the influence of different microbial strains on the SSF of SG, especially on the polyphenols content and composition, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus oryzae, and Neurospora sitophila were used separately and together for SSF of SG. Furthermore, the relationship between the dynamic changes in polyphenols and enzyme activity closely related to the metabolism of polyphenols has also been measured and analyzed. Microstructural changes observed after SSF provide a visual representation of the SSF on the SG., Results: After SSF, tannin content (TC) and free phenolic content (FPC) were decreased by 56.36% and 23.48%, respectively. Polyphenol oxidase, β-glucosidase and cellulase activities were increased 5.25, 3.27, and 45.57 times, respectively. TC and FPC were negatively correlated with cellulase activity. A positive correlation between FPC and xylanase activity after 30 h SSF became negative after 48 h SSF. The SG surface was fragmented and porous, reducing the blocking effect of cortex., Conclusion: Cellulase played a crucial role in promoting the degradation of tannin (antinutrient) and phenolic compounds. Xylanase continued to release flavonoids while microbial metabolism consumed them with the extension of SSF time. SSF is an effective way to improve the bioactivity and processing characteristics of SG. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Sorghum is a promising ingredient for new food products due to its high fiber content, slow digestibility, drought resistance, and gluten-free nature. One of the main challenges in sorghum-based products is the unpleasant aroma compounds found in grain sorghum. Therefore, in this study, sorghum flour was treated via supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2 ) to remove undesired aroma compounds. The resulting SC-CO 2 -treated flours were used to generate dough for 3D food printing. At the optimized conditions, sorghum cookies were 3D-printed using 60 % water and a nozzle diameter of 1.5 mm. All dough samples produced with untreated and SC-CO 2 -treated sorghum flours exhibited shear-thinning behavior. Changing the treatment pressure (8-15 MPa) or temperature (40-60 °C) did not significantly affect the viscosity of the dough samples. Moreover, the sorghum cookie doughs had higher G' and G″ values after the SC-CO 2 treatments (G' > G″). Doughs generated from flours treated at 15 MPa - 40 °C and 8 MPa - 60 °C showed lower adhesiveness compared to the ones produced from untreated flour, whereas 15 MPa - 60 °C treatment did not affect the adhesiveness. After baking, the 3D-printed cookies from SC-CO 2 -treated flour exhibited significantly lower redness (a*), but the hardness of the cookies was not affected by SC-CO 2 treatment. Overall, the SC-CO 2 treatment of sorghum flour did not negatively affect the quality parameters of the 3D-printed cookies while enhancing the aroma of the flour., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sorghum, a cereal grain rich in nutrients, is a major source of phenolic compounds that can be altered by different processes, thereby modulating their phenolic content and antioxidant properties. Previous studies have characterised phenolic compounds from pigmented and non-pigmented varieties. However, the impact of processing via the cooking and fermentation of these varieties remains unknown. Wholegrain flour samples of Liberty (WhiteLi 1 and WhiteLi 2 ), Bazley (RedBa 1 and RedBa 2 ), Buster (RedBu 1 and RedBu 2 ), Shawaya black (BlackSb), and Shawaya short black 1 (BlackSs) were cooked, fermented, or both then extracted using acidified acetone. The polyphenol profiles were analysed using a UHPLC-Online ABTS and QTOF LC-MS system. The results demonstrated that combining the fermentation and cooking of the BlackSs and BlackSb varieties led to a significant increase ( p < 0.05) in total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities, as determined through DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays. The 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity of WhiteLi 1 , BlackSb, RedBu 2 , and BlackSs increased by 46%, 32%, 25%, and 10%, respectively, post fermentation and cooking. Conversely, fermentation only or cooking generally resulted in lower phenolic content and antioxidant levels than when samples were fully processed compared to raw. Notably, most of the detected antioxidant peaks (53 phenolic compounds) were only detected in fermented and cooked black and red pericarp varieties. The phenolic compounds with the highest antioxidant activities in pigmented sorghum included 3-aminobenzoic acid, 4-acetylburtyic acid, malic acid, caffeic acid, and luteolin derivative. Furthermore, the growing location of Bellata, NSW, showed more detectable phenolic compounds following processing compared to Croppa Creek, NSW. This study demonstrates that sorghum processing releases previously inaccessible polyphenols, making them available for human consumption and potentially providing added health-promoting properties.

Diabetes mellitus, characterized by dysregulated glucose metabolism, oxidative stress, and the formation of advanced glycation end products, poses a significant global health burden. In this study, we explored the potential of sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) seeds, known for their abundant phytochemical composition, as a natural remedy for diabetes and its associated damage. High-performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis revealed a remarkable phenolic richness in sorghum grains, including gallic acid, quercetin, and the predominant procyanidin B-1, with ecotype-specific variations in flavonoid distribution. Elemental analysis by ICP showed an abundance of macro-elements (Ca, K, Mg), trace elements (Fe, Mn, Si, Zn), and ultra-trace elements (B, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Se, V) essential for human health, supporting its therapeutic and nutritional potential. Additionally, the results demonstrated variable total phenolic contents (188-297 mg GAE/g dE) and total flavonoid contents (66-78 mg QE/g dE), with corresponding differences in antioxidant activities across the five ecotypes. Treatment with sorghum seed extract (SE1) significantly reduced oxidative stress markers, such as malondialdehyde (MDA)by 40% and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) by 63%, in diabetic mice, compared to untreated diabetic controls. Moreover, sorghum extracts exhibited a remarkable increase in antioxidant enzyme activities, including a 50% increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and a 60% increase in glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, indicating their potential to bolster antioxidant defenses against diabetes-induced oxidative stress. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of sorghum seeds in diabetes management and prevention, paving the way for the development of functional foods with enhanced health benefits.

Sorghum milling waste stream (bran), contains diverse phenolic compounds with bioactive properties. The study determined the potential of microwave assisted extraction (MAE) to recover the bran phenolic compounds. Red, white, and lemon-yellow pericarp sorghum brans were subjected to MAE and phenolic yield and structural transformation vs conventional extraction (control) assessed by UPLC-MS/MS, Folin-Ciocalteu and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity methods. Phenols yield increased from 3.7-20.3 to 12.6-75.5 mg/g, while antioxidants capacity increased average 3.3X in MAE extracts vs controls. Hydroxycinnamic acids increased most dramatically (3.0-32X) in MAE extracts (0.08-2.64 to 2.57-8.01 mg/g), largely driven by release of cell-wall derived feruloyl- and coumaroyl-arabinose. MAE hydrolyzed flavonoid glycosides into aglycones, and depolymerized condensed flavonoid heteropolymers into flavanones, flavanols and (deoxy)anthocyanidins. Thus, MAE dramatically enhances yield of valuable phenolics from sorghum bran waste, but also alters the phenolic profile in ways that may influence their chemical and biological properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Millets, owing to their rich nutritional and low-to-moderate glycemic index values, are termed superfoods; however, some anti-nutritional factors, such as tannins, limit the absorption of micro and macronutrients. Non-thermal processing technologies, such as fermentation, can improve nutrient content and reduce these anti-nutritional factors., Methods: The effect of a controlled submerged fermentation of whole grain sorghum, pearl millet, and dehusked Kodo millet using mixed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) culture in tofu whey-based media on the proximate, antioxidant, tannin content, vitamin B, amino acids profile and estimated glycemic index (eGI) of different millets were evaluated., Results: The protein content (2-12.5%), carbohydrate content (2-13.6%), antioxidant activity (3-49%), vitamin B complex, amino acid profile (89-90%), and eGI of whole grain sorghum, pearl millet, and dehusked Kodo millet improved due to LAB-assisted submerged fermentation. In contrast, fat (4-15%), ash (56-67%), crude fiber (5-34%), minerals, tannin and resistant starch content decreased due to LAB fermentation., Conclusion: Controlled LAB fermentation can improve the nutritional quality of sorghum and millets while reducing anti-nutritional factors. This non-thermal process can be adopted industrially to produce more palatable and nutritionally superior millet products., Competing Interests: Author Yogesh Sharma is employed by Waters India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.)

Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter], an ancient cereal primarily grown in Ethiopia, is becoming increasingly popular worldwide due to its high iron content and gluten-free nature. However, it has been reported that injera produced only with tef flour lack certain vital nutrients. Therefore, this specific study was conducted to supplement tef injera with other food materials of better nutritional value and compensate its expensive market price with sorghum cereal flour. The effect of fermentation conditions, and the sorghum and carrot pulp blending ratio on the nutritional value and sensory quality of tef injera was investigated. The factorial approach of the experimental design was conducted considering the nutritional value and sensory quality of the injera made of three main blending ratios of tef, sorghum, and carrot (60% tef: 30% sorghum: 10% carrot pulp, 45% tef: 45% sorghum: 10% carrot pulp and 30% tef: 60% sorghum: 10% carrot pulp) as experiential variables. The raw materials and injera were characterised for their proximate composition, physicochemical property, mineral composition, microbial analysis, and sensory attributes, using standard methods. The results of the study show that fermentation conditions and blending ratios have a significant effect on the nutritional, anti-nutritional, mineral content, microbial quality, and sensory properties of blended injera products, where higher values of ash, crude protein, crude fat, Total titratable acidity (TTA), Fe, Zn, and Ca (2.30%, 11.34%, 2.62%, 3.53, 32.97 mg/100 g, 2.98 mg/100 g and 176.85 mg/100 g, respectively) were analyzed for the co-fermented injera sample. In addition, a lower microbial count was observed in co-fermented injera samples, whereas microbial counts in injera samples prepared from carrot pulp-supplemented dough after the co-fermentation of tef and sorghum flours were observed to be higher. The injera product made using blending ratio of 60% tef: 30%sorghum: 10% carrot co-fermented was found to be the optimum result due to its very good nutritional improvement (i.e., reduction of some anti-nutritional factors, microbial contents, pH and increased contents of some minerals, crude protein, crude fat, TTA and improved most of the sensory quality of the supplemented injera product). According to this study, sorghum and carrot supplementation on tef could improve the nutritional value of injera while also providing an instant remedy for the growing price of tef., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Curcumin is a natural lipophilic polyphenol that exhibits significant various biological properties such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties following oral administration. However, its uses have shown limitations concerning aqueous solubility, bioavailability and biodegradability that could be improved by prolamin-based nanoparticle. In this study, curcumin was encapsulated into prolamin from sorghum (SOP) and wheat (WHP) and distilled spirit spent grain (DSSGP), which was obtained after microbial proteolysis of the former two cereal grains. All the three prolamins showed clear variation of protein profiles and microstructure as confirmed by electrophoresis analysis, disulfide bond determination and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). For curcumin-loaded nanospheres (NPs) fabrication, three prolamin-based NPs shared features of spherical shape, uniform particle size, and smooth surface. The average size ranged from 122 to 193 nm depending on the prolamin variety and curcumin loading. In the experiments in vitro, curcumin showed significantly improved UV/thermal stability. Furthermore, DSSGP was more resistant to enzymatic digestion in vitro, hence achieving the controlled release of curcumin in gastrointestinal tract. Collectively, the results indicated the improved bioavailability and biodegradability of curcumin encapsulated by DSSGP, which would be an innovative potential encapsulant for effective protection and targeted delivery of hydrophobic compounds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to compare the inclusion of transgenic sorghums against commercially available sorghums on growth performance in broiler chickens. Isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were offered to a total 288 male Ross 308 broiler chickens from 14 to 35 d posthatch. Three dietary treatments were diets based on transgenic sorghums with a mean protein content of 154.7 g/kg and 5 treatments were based on commercially available sorghum hybrids with a mean protein content of 90.6 g/kg. Soybean meal inclusions in the commercial sorghum diets averaged 215 g/kg, which was reduced to 171 g/kg in the transgenic sorghum diets because of the higher protein contents. Overall growth performance was highly satisfactory, and commercial sorghums supported 2.55% (2,330 vs. 2,272 g/bird; P = 0.010) more weight gains and 2.74% (2,929 vs. 2,851 g/bird; P = 0.012) higher feed intakes; however, the transgenic sorghums supported a fractionally better FCR (1.255 vs 1.257; P = 0.826). There were no statistical differences in apparent jejunal and ileal starch and protein (N) digestibility coefficients between treatments. The transgenic sorghum diets generated slightly, but significantly, higher AME:GE ratios and AMEn, but the commercial sorghum diets generated 6.33% (235 vs. 221 g/kg; P < 0.001) greater breast meat yields. Apparent ileal digestibility coefficients of 16 amino acids averaged 0.839 and 0.832 for transgenic and commercial sorghum-based diets, respectively, without any significant differences in individual amino acids. This outcome suggests amino acid digestibilities of the transgenic sorghums may be inherently higher than commercial hybrid sorghums as the 25.7% higher average soybean meal inclusions would have advantaged amino acid digestibilities in commercial sorghum diets. The possibility that the digestibilities of amino acids in the kafirin component of transgenic sorghums was enhanced by modifications to the structure of kafirin protein bodies is discussed. In conclusion, transgenic sorghums with higher protein concentrations led to 20.5% reduction of soybean meal inclusions in broiler diets, and this change did not compromise feed conversion efficiency compared to standard commercial hybrid sorghums., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, photostability and photodynamic antimicrobial performance of dye extracts from Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) calyces, Sorghum bicolor (SB) leaf sheaths, Lawsonia inermis (LI) leaves and Curcuma longa (CL) roots were investigated in Acetate-HCl (AH) Buffer (pH 4.6), Tris Base-HCl (TBH) Buffer (pH 8.6), distilled water (dH 2 O), and Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS, pH 7.2) using Bacillus subtilis as model for gram positive bacteria, Escherichia coli as model for gram negative bacteria, phage MS2 as model for non-envelope viruses and phage phi6 as model for envelope viruses including SARS CoV-2 which is the causative agent of COVID-19. Our results showed that the photostability of the dye extracts is in the decreasing order of LI > CL > SB > HS. The dye extract-HS is photostable in dH 2 O but bleaches in buffers-AH, TBH and PBS. The rate of bleaching is higher in AH compared to in TBH and PBS. The bleaching and buffers affected the photodynamic and non-photodynamic antimicrobial activity of the dye extracts. The photodynamic antibacterial activity of the dye extracts is in the decreasing order of CL > HS > LI > SB while the non-photodynamic antibacterial activity is in the decreasing order of LI > CL > HS > SB. The non-photodynamic antiviral activity pattern observed is the same as that of non-photodynamic antibacterial activity observed. However, the photodynamic antiviral activity of the dye extracts is in the decreasing order of CL > LI > HS > SB. Given their performance, the dye extracts maybe mostly suitable for environmental applications including fresh produce and food disinfection, sanitation of hands and contact surfaces where water can serve as diluent for the extracts and the microenvironment is free of salts., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the European Photochemistry Association, European Society for Photobiology.)

Bupleuri Radix is an important medicinal plant, which has been used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Cultivated Bupleurum chinense DC. (B. chinense) is the main commodity of Bupleuri Radix. The benefits of intercropping with various crops for B. chinense have been recognized; however, the influence of intercropping on the chemical composition of B. chinense is still unclear yet. In this study, intercropping with sorghum and maize exhibited little effect on the root length, root diameter, and single root mass of B. chinense. Only the intercropping with sorghum increased the root length of B. chinense slightly compared to the monocropping. In addition, 200 compounds were identified by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, and metabolomic combined with the Venn diagram and heatmap analysis showed apparent separation between the intercropped and monocropped B. chinense samples. Intercropping with sorghum and maize could both increase the saikosaponins, fatty acyls, and organic acids in B. chinense while decreasing the phospholipids. The influence of intercropping on the saikosaponin biosynthesis was probably related with the light intensity and hormone levels in B. chinense. Moreover, we found intercropping increased the anti-inflammatory activity of B. chinense. This study provides a scientific reference for the beneficial effect of intercropping mode of B. chinense., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The production of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) is a type of indirect defense used by plants to attract natural enemies and reduce herbivory by insect pests. In many crops little is known about genotypic variation in HIPV production or how this may affect natural enemy attraction. In this study, we identified and quantified HIPVs produced by 10 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cultivars infested with a prominent aphid pest, the sorghum aphid (Melanaphis sorghi Theobald). Volatiles were collected using dynamic headspace sampling techniques and identified and quantified using GC-MS. The total amounts of volatiles induced by the aphids did not differ among the 10 cultivars, but overall blends of volatiles differed significantly in composition. Most notably, aphid herbivory induced higher levels of methyl salicylate (MeSA) emission in two cultivars, whereas in four cultivars, the volatile emissions did not change in response to aphid infestation. Dual-choice olfactometer assays were used to determine preference of the aphid parasitoid, Aphelinus nigritus, and predator, Chrysoperla rufilabris, between plants of the same cultivar that were un-infested or infested with aphids. Two aphid-infested cultivars were preferred by natural enemies, while four other cultivars were more attractive to natural enemies when they were free of aphids. The remaining four cultivars elicited no response from parasitoids. Our work suggests that genetic variation in HIPV emissions greatly affects parasitoid and predator attraction to aphid-infested sorghum and that screening crop cultivars for specific predator and parasitoid attractants has the potential to improve the efficacy of biological control., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: This experiment was conducted in the Research and Application Field of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Agriculture, during the 2020 and 2021 summer period. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of different harvesting heights on forage yields and crude ash, fat, protein, and carbon and nitrogen content of leaves and stalks of sweet sorghum (SS) and sorghum sudangrass hybrid (SSH) cultivars., Methods: Nutri Honey and Nutrima varieties of SSH and the M81-E and Topper-76 varieties of SS were used in this study. The experiment was conducted using the randomized complete block design with four replications. The main plots each included two early and late varieties of SS and SSH cultivars, while the subplots were used to test different harvesting heights (30, 60, 90, 120, 150 cm) and physiological parameters of each crop., Results: The results of this study showed that dry forage yields increased with plant growth, with the amount of forage produced at the end of the growth cycle increasing 172.2% compared to the early growth stages. Carbon (C) content of leaves decreased by 6.5%, nitrogen (N) by 46%, crude protein (CP) by 54%, crude fat (CF) by 34%, while crude ash (CA) content increased by 6% due to the increase in plant height harvest. At the same time, in parallel with the increase in plant height at harvest, the nitrogen content of the stems of the plants decreased by 87%, crude protein by 65%, crude ash by 33% and crude fat by 41%, while the carbon content increased by 4%. As plant height at harvest increased, hay yield increased but nutrient contents of the hay decreased. However, the Nutrima, Nutri Honey and M81-E sorghum cultivars, harvested three times at heights of 90 to 120 cm, are recommended for the highest yield., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 Alatürk.)

Glutinous sorghum grains were soaked (60-80 °C, 2-8 h) to explore the effects of soaking, an essential step in industrial processing of brewing, on starch. As the soaking temperature increased, the peak viscosity and crystallinity of starch gradually decreased, while the enzymatic hydrolysis rate and storage modulus first increased and then decreased. At 70 °C, the content of amylose, the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of starch, and the final viscosity first increase and then decrease with the increase of soaking time, reaching their maximum at 6 h, increased by 53.1 %, 11.0 %, and 10.4 %, respectively, as compared with the non-soaked sample. At 80 °C (4 h), the laser confocal microscopy images showed a network structure formed between the denatured protein chains and the leached-out amylose chains. The molecular weights of starch before and after soaking were all in the range of 3.82-8.98 × 10 7  g/mol. Since 70 °C is lower than that of starch gelatinization and protein denaturation, when soaking for 6 h, the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of starch is the highest, and the growth of miscellaneous bacteria is inhibited, which is beneficial for subsequent processing technology. The result provides a theoretical basis for the intelligent control of glutinous sorghum brewing., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper, and manuscript is approved by all authors for publication., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Enzymatic hydrolysis plays a pivotal role in transforming lignocellulosic biomass. Addressing alternate techniques to optimize the utilization of cellulolytic enzymes is one strategy to improve its efficiency and lower process costs. Cellulases are highly specific and environmentally benign biocatalysts that break down intricate polysaccharides into simple forms of sugars. In contrast to the most difficult and time-consuming enzyme immobilization processes, in this research, we studied simple, mild, and successful techniques for immobilization of pure cellulase on magnetic nanocomposites using glutaraldehyde as a linker and used in the application of sorghum residue biomass. Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were coated with chitosan from the co-precipitation method, which served as an enzyme carrier. The nanoparticles were observed under XRD, Zeta Potential, FESEM, VSM, and FTIR. The size morphology results presented that the Cs@Fe 3 O 4 have 42.2 nm, while bare nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 ) have 31.2 nm in size. The pure cellulase reaches to 98.07% of loading efficiency and 71.67% of recovery activity at optimal conditions. Moreover, immobilized enzyme's pH stability, thermostability, and temperature tolerance were investigated at suitable conditions. The kinetic parameters of free and immobilized enzyme were estimated as V max ; 29 ± 1.51 and 27.03 ± 2.02 µmol min -1  mg -1 , K m ; 4.7 ± 0.49 mM and 2.569 ± 0.522 mM and K cat ; 0.13 s -1 , and 0.89 s -1 . Sorghum residue was subjected to 2% NaOH pre-treatment at 50 ℃. Pre-treated biomass contains cellulose of 64.8%, used as a raw material to evaluate the efficiency of reducing sugar during hydrolysis and saccharification of free and immobilized cellulase, which found maximum concentration of glucose 5.42 g/L and 5.12 g/L on 72 h. Thus, our study verifies the use of immobilized pure cellulase to successfully hydrolyze raw material, which is a significant advancement in lignocellulosic biorefineries and the reusability of enzymes., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

In this work, we examined the impact of sorghum gain germination on kafirins solubility and digestibility. Two genotypes differing in their proteins and tannins contents were germinated under controlled conditions up to radicle emergence. Biochemical, physicochemical, and in vitro digestibility tests were applied on the germinated grains. Microscopic examination of grains endosperm revealed that germination resulted in pitted starch granules and protein matrix slackening. Apart cystine and the amount of free thiol groups which increased significantly, the overall amino acids composition remained rather unchanged, just as the kafirins solubility and size distribution. In contrast germination was demonstrated to improved significantly the in vitro protein digestibility, even after cooking and especially for the genotype poor in tannin. Without inducing major physicochemical changes, germination enhanced kafirins susceptibility to gastrointestinal proteases. Germination may be a way to improve the nutritional value of sorghum., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Although much less common than anthocyanins, 3-Deoxyanthocyanidins (3-DAs) and their glucosides can be found in cereals such as red sorghum. It is speculated that their bioavailability is higher than that of anthocyanins. Thus far, little is known regarding the therapeutic effects of 3-DAs and their O-β-D-glucosides on cancer, including prostate cancer. Thus, we evaluated their potential to decrease cell viability, to modulate the activity of transcription factors such as NFκB, CREB, and SOX, and to regulate the expression of the gene CDH1 , encoding E-Cadherin. We found that 4',7-dihydroxyflavylium chloride (P7) and the natural apigeninidin can reduce cell viability, whereas 4',7-dihydroxyflavylium chloride (P7) and 4'-hydroxy-7-O-β-D-glucopyranosyloxyflavylium chloride (P3) increase the activities of NFkB, CREB, and SOX transcription factors, leading to the upregulation of CDH1 promoter activity in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. Thus, these compounds may contribute to the inhibition of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer cells and prevent the metastatic activity of more aggressive forms of androgen-resistant prostate cancer.

As a sugar-rich plant with no impact on global warming and food security, sweet sorghum can be exploited as an alternative source of renewable bioenergy. This study aimed to examine the potential of sweet sorghum juice for the generation of bioethanol using yeast isolated from the juice. The °Brix of sweet sorghum juice was measured using a digital refractometer. Additionally, 18 wild yeasts isolated from fermented sweet sorghum juice were subjected to various biochemical tests to describe them to identify potential yeast for ethanol production. The morphological and biochemical analyses of the yeasts revealed that all of the yeast isolates were most likely members of the genus Saccharomyces. The most ethanol-tolerant yeast isolate SJU14 was employed for sweet sorghum juice fermentation. A completely randomized factorial design was used with various fermentation parameters, primarily pH, temperature, and incubation period. Then ethanol content was determined using a potassium dichromate solution. According to the ANOVA, the highest ethanol content (18.765%) was produced at 30/26 °C, pH 4.5, and incubated for 96 h. Sweet sorghum juice was found to be an excellent source of potent yeasts, which have important industrial properties like the capacity to grow at high ethanol and glucose concentrations. Moreover, it can be utilized as a substitute substrate for the manufacturing of bioethanol production to lessen the environmental threat posed by fossil fuels. Further research is, therefore, recommended to develop strategically valuable applications of sweet sorghum for enhancing the food system and mitigating climate change., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

In Africa, a wide variety of diets (forage + crop co-products or other agricultural by-products) is being used by livestock farmers in different production systems to adapt to climate change. This study aimed to assess the performance of various local feeding strategies on Sudanese Fulani zebu cattle. Two experiments were carried out on 10 steers aged initially 33 months (142 kg body weight - BW). The animals were fed eight different diets at an intake level of 3.2% LW in dry matter (DM), including two control diets of 100% rangeland forage (100% RF) and six experimental diets made up of forage and crop co-products (75:25 DM ratio). In the first experiment, the control diet was made up of rangeland forage (RF) and supplements consisted of four cereal co-products (CC), i.e. maize, sorghum, millet, and rice straws. In the second experiment, the control diet consisted of Panicum maximum (Pmax) hay, and the supplements tested were two legume co-products (LC), i.e. cowpea and peanut haulms. Each experiment lasted 3 weeks, including 2 weeks of adaptation to the diet and 1 week of data collection on individual animals (intake, apparent digestibility, and enteric methane). The NDF content of the diets was different within each experiment ( p  < 0.05). Among diets containing CC, DM intake [g/kg BW] was significantly higher (+31%; p  = 0.025) for the diet containing rice straw than for the other diets, which showed similar levels to the RF diet. Among diets containing LC, intake was significantly higher ( p  = 0.004) than for the Pmax diet. Intake was higher for the peanut haulm diet than for the cowpea haulm diet. The DM digestibility was similar between the different diets in each experiment. Enteric methane (eCH 4 ) yield [g/kg DMI] from the CC and LC-containing diets were reduced by an average of 23% and 20% compared to the RF and Pmax control diets respectively. Raising awareness among agro-pastoralists about the use of crop co-products offers real prospects for eCH 4 emissions mitigation in the Sahel region.

To enhance the processing suitability of blended flours, this study used 4 kGy E-beam irradiated (EBI) sorghum flour in different ratios blended with wheat flour and further verified the improvement mechanism of the processed products under the optimal ratios. The results suggested that the EBI can mitigate the deterioration of the blend flour farinograph properties while enhancing the gas release during dough fermentation. Under the same addition ratio, the irradiated blend flours showed higher expansion height, gas release, cavitation time, and gas retention coefficient than the control flours. Also, irradiated blend flours retained a gluten network at a higher addition rate (20 %). Moreover, the irradiated blend flours were optimized at 10 % as its pasting and thermal properties were improved. Notably, this ameliorating effect promotes a decrease in hardness and chewiness and an increase in cohesion of the bread cores, presenting better textural attributes and delaying the aging rate during storage. The findings are instructive for applying EBI technology in the manufacture and quality improvement of mixed grain breads and open a new research avenue for processing sorghum staple foods., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no financial or other conflicts of interest in this work, the data of this work has not been published elsewhere., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Products fermented with lactic acid bacteria based on whole grain flours of red or white sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) added with malted sorghum flour, or with skim milk (SM) were developed. Composition, protein amino acid profile, total acidity, pH, prebiotic potential, and bio-functional properties after simulation of gastrointestinal digestion were evaluated., Results: In all cases, a pH of 4.5 was obtained in approximately 4.5 h. The products added with SM presented higher acidity. Products made only with sorghum presented higher total dietary fiber, but lower protein content than products with added SM, the last ones having higher lysine content. All products exhibited prebiotic potential, white sorghum being a better ingredient to promote the growth of probiotic bacteria. The addition of malted sorghum or SM significantly increased the bio-functional properties of the products: the sorghum fermented products added with SM presented the highest antioxidant (ABTS •+ inhibition, 4.7 ± 0.2 mM Trolox), antihypertensive (Angiotensin converting enzyme-I inhibition, 57.3 ± 0.5%) and antidiabetogenic (dipeptidyl-peptidase IV inhibition, 31.3 ± 2.1%) activities, while the products added with malted sorghum presented the highest antioxidant (reducing power, 1.6 ± 0.1 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/mL) and antidiabetogenic (α-amylase inhibition, 38.1 ± 0.9%) activities., Conclusion: The fermented whole grain sorghum-based products could be commercially exploited by the food industry to expand the offer of the three high-growth markets: gluten-free products, plant-based products (products without SM), and functional foods. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

To investigate the effect of E-beam irradiation (EBI) on acid-hydrolyzed starch, sorghum starch was pretreated with EBI (2, 4, and 8 kGy) and further hydrolyzed using hydrochloric acid (1 % and 6 % concentrations) in this study. EBI intensified acid hydrolysis corrosion on starch granule surfaces without inducing changes in the growth ring, FT-IR spectra, and crystal type (A-type). Also, EBI promoted starch degradation by acid hydrolysis, as evidenced by the R 1047/1022 loss (1.071 to 1.027), the molecular weight decrease, and the chain length distribution shift (toward short A-chain). Moreover, this synergistic modification induced a starch enthalpy decrease (only 9.49 J/g) and crystallinity reduction (29.87 %), while solubility increase (34.27 %) and swelling power inhibition (only 7.65 g/g) were observed. Notably, starch digestibility was improved after synergistic modification. The obtained results broaden the processing depth of EBI in modified starch and highlight the promising application of acidolysis sorghum starch as a potential industrial starch., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sweet sorghum, as a seasonal energy crop, is rich in cellulose and hemicellulose that can be converted into biofuels. This work aims at investigating the effects of synergistic regulation of Pichia anomala and cellulase on ensiling quality and microbial community of sweet sorghum silages as a storage and pretreatment method. Furthermore, the combined pretreatment effects of ensiling and ball milling on sweet sorghum were evaluated by microstructure change and enzymatic hydrolysis. Based on membership function analysis, the combination of P. anomala and cellulase (PA + CE) significantly improved the silage quality by preserving organic components and promoting fermentation characteristics. The bioaugmented ensiling with PA + CE restructured the bacterial community by facilitating Lactobacillus and inhibiting undesired microorganisms by killer activity of P. anomala. The combined bioaugmented ensiling pretreatment with ball milling significantly increased the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency (EHE) to 71%, accompanied by the increased specific surface area and decreased pore size/crystallinity of sweet sorghum. Moreover, the EHE after combined pretreatment was increased by 1.37 times compared with raw material. Hence, the combined pretreatment was demonstrated as a novel strategy to effectively enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of sweet sorghum., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The issue of global warming, primarily fueled by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, necessitates effective strategies to address methane (CH4) emissions from both ruminants and nonruminants. Drawing inspiration from successful approaches employed in ruminants, this study evaluates the impact of supplementing the diets of Taiwan's native black-feathered chickens with alfalfa meal and sorghum distillery residues (SDRs) on CH4 emissions. Using a respiration chamber the results reveal a significant reduction in CH4 emissions when incorporating either 30% alfalfa meal or 30% SDRs into the chicken diet, demonstrating a 59% and 49% decrease, respectively, compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Considering that alfalfa meal contains saponins and SDRs contain tannins, the study delves into the mechanism through which these components mitigate CH4 production in chickens. Incorporating saponins or tannins shows that groups supplemented with these components exhibit significantly lower CH4 emissions compared to the control group (P < 0.05), with a consistent linear decrease as the concentration of the feed additive increases. Further in vitro analysis of chicken cecal contents indicates a proportional reduction in CH4 production with increasing levels of added saponins or tannins (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the CH4-reducing effects of alfalfa meal and SDRs can be attributed to their saponins and tannin content. However, caution is warranted as excessive alfalfa meal supplementation may adversely impact poultry growth. Consequently, sorghum distillery residue emerges as a more suitable feed ingredient for mitigating CH4 emissions in Taiwan's native black-feathered chickens compared to alfalfa. Additionally, substituting SDRs for conventional commercial chicken feed not only reduces CH4 emissions but also enhances the utilization of byproducts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The present study investigates the effect of conventional and organic farming systems on the nutritional profile of crops. Different crops, namely -millet, sorghum, sesame, mustard, fenugreek, berseem, pea, potato, and onion were cultivated through conventional agriculture in which chemical fertilizers like urea, DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) and pesticides were used and organic farming in which organic fertilizers like seaweed and vermicompost were used., Objective: The experimental study was done on a field in north India from 2019 to 2021 in six different seasons, and the nutrient profile of the crops with respect to macroelements (S, K, Na, P, Ca, Mg) and microelements (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Al) was compared., Methods: Macro and microelements were analyzed by Element analyzer and ICP-OES in both types of farming systems. The content of macro, as well as microelements, was found to be significantly higher in all the organically produced crops as compared to the conventionally grown crops., Results: Significant differences were observed in the macroelement content of organic onion (P- 900 mg/kg, K-2000mg/kg) and organic pea (K 2250 mg/kg) as compared to the content of conventionally grown onion (P-756 mg/kg, K- 1550 mg/kg) and pea (K-2000 mg/kg). Similarly, microelement content in the organic sesame (Fe - 3.12 mg/kg), organic millet (Fe- 2.19 mg/kg), and organic potato (Zn-200 mg/kg) was higher as compared to conventionally grown sesame (Fe 2.05 mg/kg), millet (Fe- 1.56 mg/kg) and potato (Zn 167 mg/kg)., Conclusion: This investigation concludes that crops with optimum nutritional content can be produced through organic farming with minimum input and maximum production., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)