ARS | Publication request: WHEAT-FREE BREADS FROM SORGHUM: QUALITY DIFFERENCES AMONG HYBRIDS

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 27, 2005
Publication Date: February 19, 2005
Citation: Schober, T., Bean, S., Messerschmidt, M., Park, S., Arendt, E.K. 2005. Wheat-free breads from sorghum: quality differences among hybrids. Proceedings of the 24th Biennial Grain Sorghum Research & Utilization Conference. Meeting Abstract. p. 36.

Technical Abstract: Grain sorghum is a gluten-free cereal from which breads for celiac sufferers may be prepared. The aim of this study was to test for differences between 9 hybrids and their potential to produce high quality bread. Bread was produced from batters composed of (relative parts) sorghum flour (70), corn starch (30), water (102.6-110.7), salt (1.75), sugar (1), and dried yeast (2). Water was standardized to obtain identical consistencies when extruding the batters with a texture analyzer. Main differences (P<0.001) were found between crumb grain and firmness of the breads, where good quality was characterized by a high number of small pores. Two hybrids, opposite in quality (total number of cells: 26.1 vs. 13.5/cm<sup>2</sup>, and mean cell area: 1.3 vs. 3.3 mm<sup>2</sup>), were used to investigate the impact of specific ingredients using response surface methodology. Water was varied (100.1-114.9) and the addition of xanthan gum (0.3-1.2) and skim milk powder (1.2-4.8) were tested. Xanthan gum and skim milk powder had negative effects on volume and height, whereas increasing the amount of water improved volume. For all settings, the high quality hybrid yielded bread with a finer crumb. The study shows that good quality sorghum bread can be produced with a very simple recipe without added gums, when the right cultivars are selected.