Sorghum equals or exceeds many other cereal grains in essential proteins.
Unfortunately, too many of the nutrients pass through the body unabsorbed. Purdue University food science professor Bruce Hamaker has found that each protein body in a single sorghum seed is surrounded by a tough inner protein wall. It takes stomach enzymes longer to break down the wall to reach the nutritional proteins in sorghum than it does to reach the proteins in similar grains, such as corn. Hamaker's study revealed that in a special sorghum variety, the protein body wall is structured differently, allowing enzymes to digest protein more quickly. Hamaker's work, which could lead to sorghum crops with greater dietary benefits, has earned him the 2000 Purdue University Agricultural Research Award.