Influence of dry heat, heat moisture and germination treatments on anti‐nutritional and technological quality of two varieties of sorghum flour

Abstract The utilisation of sorghum flour in food processing remains limited due to its hard grain texture, poor functional properties, and the presence of anti‐nutritional compounds such as tannins and phytic acid. To enhance its technological and nutritional applicability, two sorghum varieties (SL 45 and SL 46) were subjected to dry heat (HT), heat‐moisture treatment (HMT), and germination (GT). The treated flours were evaluated for their physicochemical characteristics, bioactive profiles, anti‐nutritional factors, in vitro starch digestibility, X‐ray diffraction, and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy properties. All three treatments significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) reduced tannin, phytic acid, and fat contents, while improving bioactive components, antioxidant activity, and flowability properties. HMT‐treated SL 46 exhibited the lowest fat content and the highest phenolic content, whereas germinated SL 46 showed the greatest reductions in tannins and phytic acid. Both HT and HMT significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) decreased in vitro starch digestibility, and all treatments caused a slight reduction in crystallinity. Overall, the study demonstrates that targeted thermal and GTs can effectively improve the nutritional, functional, and structural qualities of sorghum flour. These findings provide practical insights for selecting suitable processing methods to produce high‐quality, value‐added sorghum‐based food products on an industrial scale.