Factors Affecting Phytochemical Content In Some Sweet Sorghum Varieties

This study aimed to identify the bioactive compounds existing in sweet sorghum products (juice and syrup) that help increase their usage in the food industry. There are a lot of health benefits that can be derived from sweet sorghum that can used in developing the food products that can benefitted by target consumers. To achieve this purpose, it is important to find out factors that affect the quantity and kind of bioactive compounds, mainly (phenolic acids and flavonoids), among different sweet sorghum products (juice and syrup). Hence, a field trial was conducted in 2022 in Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Reclaimed Land, Giza Governorate, Egypt, to assess the influence of two harvest stages, i.e., milk and dough stages, and juice concentration treatments, i.e., 73, 75, 78, and 80º Brix (measured by hand refractometer), on the bioactive compounds of three sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, L., Moench) varieties (Rex, Roma, and Welly). Results revealed that at the milk harvesting stage, there was a reverse relationship between sucrose, glucose, and fructose juice content, while during the dough stage, sugar accumulation increased, especially for sucrose, which was accompanied by fructose and glucose as well. Generally, phenolic compounds increased at the dough stage in the three studied varieties, while the flavonoid content of the juice increased during the dough stage in both Welly and Roma varieties. The concentration process of the juice led to a noticeable increase in phenolic content, especially for the Rex variety, which exhibited superior behavior among the other varieties.