INFLUENCE OF STEEPING PERIOD AND DEHYDRATION METHODS

ON THE PROXIMATE COMPOSITION AND PASTING PROPERTIES OF SORGHUM

FLOUR (Sorghum bicolor)

By

OLUWAFEMI, G. I.

Department of Food Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.

E-mail:[email protected], Tel: +234 08035178766

ABSTRACT
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is used as a main ingredient in a variety of foods. It was
necessary to investigate the effects of varying steeping period and using different dehydration
methods on the quality of sorghum flour. Sorghum grains were steeped for 24 and 48 h at 35Oc
and subsequently oven dried at 60Oc and sun dried, processed into flour making use of the
traditional method. The sorghum flour obtained was analyzed for proximate composition and
pasting properties. The results showed that the moisture content ranged from (7.12-10.01%) from
all the steeping period and the dehydration methods. However, moisture content (7.12%) of
sorghum flour steeped for 24 h and oven dried was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that of sun
dried sorghum flour which were steeped for 24 and 48 h respectively but not significantly
(p<0.05) different from other samples. The ash (1.01-1.33%), crude fiber(0.41-0.92%) and
carbohydrate (75.98-79.76%) contents were not significantly (p<0.05) different among the
samples. Fat ranged (0.50-3.88%), protein of (8.45% -11.83%), sample steeped for 48 h sun
dried had the highest protein value of (11.83%). Results showed that increasing the soaking
period and using different drying methods had significant effects (P < 0.05) on pasting properties
of the sorghum flour. The peak viscosity ranged from (800.00-4016.00 RVU), final viscosity of
(930.00-8711.00RVU), set back of (235.00-5581.00RVU),breakdown of (69.00-886.00RVU),
trough of (695.00-3130.00 RVU) and pasting temperature of (60.80-69.05 Oc). These pasting
properties increase with increase in soaking period using tray drying method.

Key words: Dehydration, flour, pasting properties, proximate, sorghum, steeping

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INTRODUCTION
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolour L.) is the most extensively grown cereal crop in Nigeria (FAO,
2005). It is a versatile grain, which is commonly grown in many countries in the world where it
is used as a main ingredient in a variety of foods. Sorghum crops are cultivated in hot and dry
areas where wheat crop does not naturally occur. Therefore, this crop is an important food source
in Africa, alongside maize forms major staple food for many of the world's poorest people and
constitute a major source of energy and proteins for millions of people in Africa and Asia. It is
called different names in different parts of Africa. In West Africa; it is referred to as guinea corn;
South Africa, Zambia and Sudan it is called Dura.Adeyeye and Ajewole (1992) reported that
Sorghum is a rich source of B–Complex vitamins. Yellow – endosperm varieties of sorghum
contain B – carotene can be converted to vitamin A by the human body.However, this genetic
diversity is under threat due to destruction of harvest; commercial agricultural practices and
infrastructural activities and large scale adoption of improved cultivations grown for animal feed.
The nutrient composition of sorghum indicates that it is a good source of energy, proteins,
carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals including the trace elements, particularly iron and zinc,
except calcium. Sorghum grain contains minerals such as phosphorus, potassium and magnesium
in varying quantities Dickoet al.,(2006). The reports of Olatunjiet al., (1992) showed that
sorghum contains 9.28%, 2.27%, 85.20%, 2.01%, and 1.27% for protein, fat. Carbohydrate,
crude fibre and mineral salts respectively. Traditional treatments such as soaking, cooking,
germinating and fermenting have been used to improve nutritional quality of the
legume.Sorghum with juicy stems contains as much as 10% sucrose used in the manufacture of
syrup. Sorghum products are much such as; sugar can also be manufactured from sorghum; it is
also used in brewing. When processed into flour; it is used traditionally for ogi or eko in south
west by mixing the flour with boiling water to form a thick paste. When fermented it is used to
produce burukutu.Snack foods;special varieties of sorghum have been used to produce snack
foods. Black sorghum was cooked in alkali to produce tortilla chips with an intense blue colour
(Zelayaet al., 1999). On the other hand, the same researchers produced dark tortilla chips from
Brown sorghum (Zelayaet al., 1999). Both types of sorghum contain polyphenols which act as
antioxidants, and thus their products can be appealing to healthy foods-oriented consumers
(Rooney and Awika, 2005). Tortillas:The tortilla is a type of unfermented bread usually prepared
from alkali-cooked, steeped corn. However, in certain parts of Central America, sorghum is used

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alone or in combination with corn for preparation of this food product (DeWalt, 1982). When
used in combination with corn, a mixture of 25% sorghum and 75% maize flour produces
acceptable tortillas (Chotoet al., 1985). Sorghum varieties with light-colored pericarp,
intermediate endosperm texture and low amounts of color precursors are preferred for making
tortillas (Iruegaset al., 1982).Most types of sorghum, except waxy sorghums, yield acceptable
couscous; one especial exception is hard endosperm sorghum, which yields more and better flour
for couscous than soft endosperm sorghum (Galibaet al.,1988). Porridges:This food product is
made by cooking sorghum flour in acid, alkali, or water (Rooney and Waniska, 2000) and it is
common in West Africa. A combination of different types of flour (can be fermented in some
cases) has been previously studied to improve sensorial properties of porridges. It was found that
the combination of sorghum, maize, and cassava in a proportion of 30:40:30 was very acceptable
to sensory panelists. The sorghum properties needed to make good quality porridge are not
clearly defined. However, amylose content and the interaction between protein and starch are
two important factors for making high quality porridges. Leavened Bread;two approaches have
been taken when attempting to make functional formulations for sorghum bread: partial
substitution of wheat flour with sorghum flour in the bread formulation, and/or addition of other
ingredients that help improve breadmaking process and loaf quality characteristics of sorghum
only formulas. Several studies have focused on the first approach. Pertenet al., (1983) reported
that 30% substitution of wheat flour with sorghum flour still produced good quality bread.
Specifically, that author recommended to solvate the gum in water before adding it to the dough
as a measure to improve bread quality. Several researchers have also included a sorghum
flour/starch mixture and various functional food ingredients in the formulation for sorghum
bread. Pre-gelatinized starch and egg were used by Keregero and Mtebe (1994); a sorghum
flour/starch mixture and addition of emulsifiers were investigated by Olatunjiet al., (1992) while
others have included skim milk powder, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC), baking
powder, soy flour, corn starch, dried egg albumen in the formulation for the purpose of
improving breadmaking and final product characteristics (Cauvain, 1998).This research work
aimed at the effect of steeping period and dehydration methods on the proximate composition
and pasting characteristics of sorghum flour.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS
The Sorghum bicolourL.variety of sorghum grain was purchased fromErekesan market in Ado-
Ekiti, Ekiti, Nigeria.
Preliminary operation: The sorghum grains were cleaned and sorted to remove stones,
defective ones and foreign matters. Cleaned and sorted sorghum grains were steeped at 35 0c in
tap water (1:2w/v) for 24 and 48 h. After decanting the steeping water, the grains were
dehydrated by sun drying, oven drying and tray drying. The sorghum grains were then
decorticated and milled to produce fine particles by attrition mill, it was then allowed to pass
through 0.50mm mesh sieve before analysis was carried out on it.

Chemical analysis: Proximate composition was determined according to AOAC

(1990).

Pasting properties: Pasting properties of flour was characterized using Rapid Visco Analyzer
(RVA model 3C Newport Scientific PTY Ltd., Sydney) as described by Delcouret al. (2000).

Statistical Analysis
All results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA)
was performed using Statistical Software SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Scientist) version
20.0.to test the significance of differences between sample means. Duncan’s Multiple Range
Test was applied to separate the significantly different means of parameters.

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Result

Table 1: Proximate composition of sorghum flour

Sample Ash% Moisture% Protein% Fibre% Fat% CHO

%

1TD 1.14±0.01b 9.09 ±0.01d 8.71±0.01b 0.61±0.01c 1.65±0.04b 78.81±0.07c

1SD 1.29±0.04de 9.63 ±0.05e 11.64±0.04e 0.77±0.02d 0.50±0.01a 76.19±0.08a

1OD 1.33±0.00e 7.12±0.03a 9.69±0.01d 0.41±0.02a 3.81±0.23c 77.65±0.18b

2TD 1.25± 0.01cd 7.71±0.02c 9.01±0.02c 0.64±0.04c 1.66±0.02b 79.76±0.05d

2SD 1.01±0.01a 10.01±0.02f 11.83±0.01f 0.92±0.01e 0.55±0.01a 75.98±0.36a

2OD 1.23±0.03c 7.39 ±0.01b 8.47 ±0.04a 0.49±0.01b 3.88±0.01c 78.55±0.02c

Percentage carbohydrate by difference mean + standard deviation for three determinations

Values in the same column with different letters in superscript are significantly different at p < 0.05
1TD- sorghum grains steeped for one day and then tray dried
1SD- Sorghum grains steeped for one day and then sun dried
1OD- sorghum grains steeped for one day and then oven dried
2TD- Sorghum grains steeped for two days and then tray dried
2SD- sorghum grains steeped for two days and then sun dried
2OD- sorghum grains steeped for two days and then oven dried

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Discussion
The proximate composition of sorghum flour with different steeping periods and different
dehydration methods was shown above in table 1. The moisture content of the flour ranges from
7.12-10.01%, sample 2SD had the highest moisture content which could be as a result of the
dehydration methods, the moisture content of sample 1TD was significantly (p<0.05) lower
compare to other samples. This result agreed with Otutu and Ikuomola (2014) who reported that
the moisture range for sorghum steeped or germinated for 0-3 days was between the ranges of
4.71-14.37%. Such low moisture content of flours prevents microbial activity and extends the
shelf life of the product. The protein content of sorghum flour ranges between 8.47-11.83%. The
highest protein content wasin the sorghum grain steeped for two days before sun-drying. The
protein content (11.83%) of sample 2SD was significantly (p<0.05) higher when compare to
other samples. This result agreed with the report of Morgan et al., (1992) that protein content of
steeped or germinated grains increase with time because the nitrates present in the kernel which
facilitate the metabolism of nitrogenous compounds, from carbohydrate reserves, thus increasing
the crude protein level. The ash content ranges between 1.01-1.33%, sample steeped for two days
and sundried was significantly (p>0.05) lower when compare to other samples, this was in
agreement to Mbaeyi and Onweluso (2010) who reported a decrease in ash content of steeped
sorghum for two days due to the removal of the vegetative part of the seeds during drying and
milling.The percentage fiber ranges between (0.41-0.92%), the fibre content of sample 2SD
(0.92%) was significantly higher when compare to other samples which is an indication of
increasing the steeping period and dehydration method used. Fat content of the flour ranges
between (0.50- 3.88%). The fat content of sample 2SD (3.88%) was significantly higher when
compared to other samples but not significantly (p<5) different from sample 1SD. However,
food products containing high fat are susceptible to both hydrolytic and oxidative or enzymatic
rancidity responsible for both the general acceptability and storage stability of the product.The
carbohydrate content of the flour ranges between (75.98 -79.76%) across the three different
dehydration methods which was in accordance with what of Mbaeyi and Onweluso, (2010)
reported that decrease in carbohydrate content of sorghum flour might be due to the steeping
period. 2SD had the least carbohydrate (75.98%) content but not significantly (p>0.05)different
from sample 1SD. These changes could be attributed to the activities of hydrolytic enzymes

6
within the seed during steeping or germination and the dehydration treatment as reported by
Otutu and Ikumola(2014).

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The results as reflected in Table 2 shows the pasting characteristics of the powders obtained from
sorghum grains steeped for varying periods of steeping (24 – 48 h). There was significant
difference (p < 0.05) in all the pasting characteristics among the samples except the peak time.
Peak viscosity ranges from (800.67-4014.33RVU) across the dehydration methods used. It was
observed that the peak viscosity, trough, breakdown, setback and final viscosity increases as the
steeping period increases from 24 – 48 h across the three drying methods. This was contrary to
the report of Apotiola, 2013 thatpasting properties decreased with increase in soaking period,
except for sample 1SD and 1SD. Trough and final viscosity ranged from (696.00 -3131.67RVU),
(931.67 - 8709.67RVU) respectively.The breakdown ranged from(67.67 - 886.00 RVU) sample
2TD was significantly (p<0.05) higher when compare to other samples. However, the higher the
breakdown the lower the ability of the sample to withstand heating and shear stress during
cooking (Adebowaleet al., 2005).The setback viscosity which is an index of retrogradationalso
ranged from(233.67 – 5579.67RVU), The range of values of pasting temperature obtained in this
study was lower compared with the value obtained byAdeyemi (1983) for wet–milled ogi
(77.10 °C), these were still in the range of pasting temperature obtained for tapioca starch,
fermented maize and rice and cassava–sorghum flour ( Fasasi, et. al. 2007; Tizazu, et al., 2010).

Conlusion
Based on the findings of this study, it is evident that nutritious diets sorghum flour can be
produced from different processing methods.It is apparent that the steeping and dehydration
treatments (as economic processing methods) of sorghum improved the nutritional quality.
Increasing the steepingperiod significantly increased the protein of the flour.However, the
protein content of sorghum flour may also be very important in gluten-free breadmaking and
other prospective need to be evaluated in future research. The use of steeped sorghum flour in
the formulation of complementary foods canprovides gruels of low viscosity, high energy and
nutrient density, therefore, potentially increasing food intake. Hence, steeping is a promising
food processing method for complementary food preparation, especially in developing countries.

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Acknowledgement
The author wish to acknowledgeFood Technology Department,Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekitifor
providing laboratory facilities to conduct the study.

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