# Maize and Sorghum as Raw Materials for Brewing, a Review
## 2 Maize and Sorghum: Raw Materials for Brewing
### Overview  
Maize is widely grown in over 166 countries, including all agro-ecological areas (arid, semi-arid, temperate and tropical) of the world, e.g., the tropics of Central America and Mexico, from whence it originates [34; 37; 38]. Main maize-producing countries include: United States, China, Brazil, Argentina, India, France, and Indonesia [39]. Maize (_Zea mays_ L.) is a significant annual cereal crop belonging to the _Poaceae_ family. _Zea_ comes from ancient Greece (meaning \"life support\") and _mays_ is a Latin word that means \"giver of life\". Maize is among the top three crops worldwide, after rice and wheat [40]. It is also known as the miracle crop and the queen of cereals, due to its high production potential [38]. Internationally, maize is grown on 184 million hectares, with 1016 million tons produced annually [41]. In addition to its use as human food and animal feed, maize is a source for a huge number of industrial products. Corn is grown in a multitude of varieties (e.g., white grain, the more common yellow grain, sweet corn, baby corn, waxy corn, popcorn, high amylase corn, flour corn, flint corn, high oil corn, dent corn, amylomaize, and quality protein maize) which appropriately meet nutritional demands. Corn varieties may differ in color, including yellow, white, red, and purple. Interest in the research and use of pigmented maize--which is full of anthocyanins, carotenoids and phenolic substances with antioxidant and bioactive characteristics--has increased due to its benefits on human health [38; 39]. Maize has not been found in the wild in any part of the world. It survives only through human care [34]. Sorghum (_Sorghum vulgare_) originates from central Africa, and has reached Asia (including India). It belongs, like barley and maize, to the _Poaceae_ family. Sorghum is closely related to corn in genomic organization, plant shape, developmental physiology, and even in its applications. Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal harvest in the world after corn, rice, wheat and barley, and serves as a major food grain for over 750 million people residing in the semi-arid tropical regions of Africa (Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan), Asia (China, India), and areas of Central and South America [21; 30; 42]. According to the FAOSTAT's (Statistics Division of Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nation) 2017 statistical data, Africa is the largest contributor to worldwide sorghum production, with approximately 29.7 million tons out of a total of 57 million tons [43; 44]. Compared to other cereal crops, sorghum is more drought-tolerant; it is also called the camel plant. Therefore, this cereal is a vital staple food in many semi-arid areas of the developing world. In western countries, it is mainly consumed as animal feed [21]. Sorghum requires less fertilizer than corn. Sorghum is highly efficient in its use of heat from solar radiation, and uses water more efficiently than corn [36]. Sorghum is among the most versatile food crops in Africa, which has a rate of human consumption comprising about 40% of total world production [30]. During drought, sorghum rolls its leaves to reduce water loss due to perspiration. If the drought continues, it becomes latent rather than dying. The leaves are protected by waxy cuticles to reduce evaporation [42]. With continuing increases in the world's population, declining water supplies and the consequences of climate change, sorghum could be vital for human use and will be a significant crop in the future due to its drought resistance [43]. Usually, the color of sorghum grains varies from red, black and brown to coffee-colored, yellow and white. The variety of colors or pigments is due to the different quantity of polyphenols in the grain, which are usually located in the pericarp. To date, there are more than 10,000 types of sorghum, with more being generated through incessant plantgrowth research to choose desired properties. The majority of sorghum types vary in size, structure, pigmentation, texture, hardness and biochemical properties [45].