Title : Valorization of sorghum as an underutilized climate-resilient crop for extruded snack production
Abstract:
Sorghum is a climate-resilient cereal crop with considerable potential to contribute to sustainable food production and crop diversification strategies. Despite its nutritional advantages and adaptability to challenging environmental conditions, its utilization in value-added food products remains limited compared to conventional cereals. The present study investigates the feasibility of producing sorghum-based extruded snack products using different formulation levels and extrusion processing conditions. Extrusion trials were conducted under varying feed moisture contents and barrel temperatures in order to evaluate the technological suitability of sorghum for expanded snack production. The effects of formulation and processing variables on the physical, textural, color, and functional characteristics of the extruded products are being assessed. Preliminary observations indicate that sorghum can be successfully incorporated into extruded snack formulations while maintaining desirable product quality characteristics. Ongoing analyses focus on determining the influence of extrusion conditions on product structure, expansion behavior, texture attributes, and selected nutritional properties. The study aims to provide scientific evidence supporting the utilization of sorghum as an alternative cereal ingredient for innovative snack products. Furthermore, the findings are expected to contribute to the development of sustainable food systems through the valorization of underutilized cereal crops and the diversification of raw materials used in food manufacturing.
Keywords: Sorghum, Extrusion, Sustainable Food Systems, Crop Diversification, Underutilized Crops
