Agricultural Research Service (ARS)* scientists in Manhattan, Kan., are trying to coax this lesser-known grain out of its shell. Chemist Scott Bean at the ARS Grain Marketing and Production Research Center is analyzing kernels of food-grade sorghum in hopes of bringing into the mainstream new products made from the nutty-tasting grain, such as breads, waffles and noodles and popcorn.
Why? Some varieties of sorghum represent a surprising new source of cancer-fighting compounds. Such whole-grain varieties contain high levels of phenols and tannins, two plant compounds with a knack for mopping up cellular byproducts called free radicals that can wreak havoc on cell membranes and other delicate machinery within the human body. Sorghum brans are also high in dietary fiber.
What makes sorghum attractive to many consumers, though, is not so much what it contains, but what it's missing.
Because it lacks gluten--certain proteins present in wheat and two closely related cereals, rye and barley--sorghum is considered safe for the 1 to 2 million people in the United States diagnosed with celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance.
