A research project investigating the use of sorghum as a sugar crop has been awarded a joint grant from the University of Queensland and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
A joint project between Queensland and Chinese researchers to derive sugars from sorghum could result in significant social, economic and environmental benefits for future generations.
University of Queensland (UQ) lead researcher Dr. Wu Luguang said the project had the potential to revitalise the sugar industry, improve energy security, reduce greenhouse emissions and improve health outcomes by reducing tooth decay and assisting in diabetes management.
The collaborative research project between UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has been awarded one of only two grants available from the Queensland-Chinese Academy of Sciences (Q-CAS) Collaborative Science fund.
Queensland Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts Minister Mr. Ian Walker presented the award to the researchers at a ceremony this week.
The project, titled Sweet sorghum for valuable sugars, aims to produce a high-value “healthy” sugar by using sweet sorghum as a biofactory.
“The healthy sugar, isosmaltulose (IM), has low glycaemic and insulin indices which means when added to food it releases energy for the body slowly over time,” Dr. Wu said.
“The slow release of energy may have a range of health benefits including preventing the onset of diabetes, reducing tooth decay, improving brain activity and reducing the incidence of obesity.”
Sweet sorghum is an energy-rich (biomass) plant adapted to the hot semi-arid tropics which can produce sugar levels equivalent to sugarcane but in a shorter time frame and with lower water usage.
In addition to the potential health benefits of the sugar in sweet sorghum, the higher yield with lower water usage could lead to more efficient farming and environmental management, with the crop generating 10-15 tonnes of sugar per hectare.
The collaborative research project aims to identify elite sweet sorghum lines with high and stable sugar production and develop them into plants which can be cultivated on a large scale. The engineered plants will be tested under a wide range of cultivation areas of marginal land in Queensland and China.
The Queensland-Chinese Academy of Sciences (Q-CAS) Collaborative Science fund encourages important scientific and technical research collaborations that aim to deliver future economic, social and environmental benefits for Queensland and China.