Sorghum research moves it higher up the food chain with new products for human consumption.
Sorghum is usually grown as food for livestock, but new research has added value to the grain by making it fit for human consumption.
Queensland’s Department of Agriculture has found a way to extract protein from sorghum waste, for use in health drinks and even as a coating for drugs.
Dr Ram Merredy, from the Department’s Innovative Food Technologies Centre, said the work saw the grain being used higher up the food chain and not just as animal feed.
“We can extract this protein in its pure form, like 99 per cent pure protein can be extracted, and that can be used in human food applications,” he said.
“It can be converted into a valuable product and it can be used as a pure, gluten free, healthy protein.”
Dr Merredy said there was already commercial interest in the research, which could mean more money in the hands of sorghum growers.
“I think it will definitely flow down to farmers as well. once you find different applications for the products, the processor also gets more money and sorghum will have more demand,” he said.
Dr Merredy said the department was well into commercial-scale trials, to be followed soon by commercial production.