The impact of radiation process followed by traditional treatments on nutritional quality of low tannin sorghum cultivar

Abstract

The present work describes radiation-induced effects on nutritional quality of raw and processed flour of low tannin sorghum cultivar (Dabar). The flour of the cultivar was radiated using gamma irradiation at doses of 5, 10 and 15 kGy and thereafter the radiated flour was fermented and/or cooked. Radiation of raw flour decreased the level of antinutrients with a concomitant increase in protein digestibility and minerals extractability. Moreover, it increased the level of some amino acids and decreased others. Among amino acids the most limiting ones are lysine, methionine plus cysteine and threonine. Fermentation and/or cooking of radiated and non-radiated flour improved the protein digestibility and minerals extractability as well as the level of some amino acids. Despite a significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction in antinutrients when radiated and non-radiated flour was cooked, the level of protein digestibility and minerals extractability has fluctuated. Most of the amino acids were slightly stable against all treatments except lysine and threonine which were significantly affected. Phenylalanine plus tyrosine was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased after radiation and even after processing of raw and radiated flour.