Hydrothermal Treatment to Remove Tannins in Wholegrains Sorghum, Milled Grains and Flour

Abstract

Pigmented sorghum with high content of tannins were studied in this work. Tannins bind to proteins and reduce their availability. A hydrothermal treatment was carried out to reduce tannins. A control sample of non-pigmented pericarp variety was used. After the treatment, grains were milled, and a part was separated for wholegrain flour elaboration. Several determinations were done after treatment: tannins (T), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total polyphenols (TPP) content. TPP and TAC in wholegrain pigmented sorghum were 3.9 to 12.3 and 2.3 to 3.5 times higher than those of non-pigmented sorghum, respectively. In all sorghum varieties the extractions of TPP decreased with milling. TAC in flour increased 3.3 times the initial value for non-pigmented sorghum, whereas for the other sorghum samples it increased slightly from 1.1 to 1.3 times the initial value. In flours there was a noticeable reduction in T, with respect to the wholegrain. It was possible to conclude that the hydrothermal treatment allowed lower levels of tannins than those established in the Codex for both wholegrain sorghum and flour. This reduction makes it possible to obtain flour which may be suitable for food processing and the recovery of tannins for other uses.