CHICAGO —The potential appeal of sorghum to consumers seeking gluten-free products and the grain’s versatility for bakers and food manufacturers seeking flour alternatives were the subject of a presentation July 15 by Kirk Borchardt, senior research and development chef, Ardent Mills, Saskatoon, Sask.

Borchardt, who works at the Ardent Mills Innovation Center (AMIC) in Saskatoon, participated in the IFT Taste of Science program in the main exhibit hall at McCormick Place.

While only a minuscule percentage of the population must avoid gluten because of celiac disease, roughly 50% of consumers choose to seek gluten-free products throughout the week, making the gluten-free market a large and attractive one, Borchardt said.

The fifth largest cereal crop in the world, sorghum has many attractive qualities as a gluten alternative, he said. Availability is high on the list. The United States is the largest global producer, cultivated in a belt spanning North Dakota to south Texas. It comes in a range of colors, including red, brown, yellow and white.

“Consumers like white, light fluffy products, so we source white sorghum,” Borchardt said.

Ardent Mills, the largest flour milling company in North America, sources its white sorghum from a single farm in Nebraska. It sells whole and processed sorghum as part of its Emerging Nutrition specialty business.

Nutritionally, sorghum is low in fat, a good source of protein and contains about 72% starch, which Borchardt said helps build structure in finished products.

Attractive too for its sustainability, sorghum originated in Africa and is cultivated in the United States with little to no irrigation.

Functionally, white sorghum has a neutral flavor and has high water absorption.

“Sorghum is great for water absorption,” he said. “It will take a lot of water, which helps with texture and flavor.”

Borchardt cautioned the audience that sorghum enzymatic activity varies from year to year, necessitating adjustments by bakers. He said AMIC conducts testing and works with customers to ensure sorghum use is as seamless as possible.

“This year we don’t have quite the same hydration levels,” he said. “We were able to make recommendation” to either use less water or blend in another flour.

Finished product candidates for sorghum include cakes, muffins, donuts, cookies, crackers and snack puffs.   It may be used as a whole seed, baked, puffed, popped or extruded.

“It opens you to many different processes,” he said.