Environment and Hybrid Influences on Rapid-Visco-Analysis Flour Properties of Food-Grade Grain Sorghum
Grain processors would benefi t from informa- tion about the production environment and the infl uences of the sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) hybrid on food-grade fl our proper- ties. The objective of this study was to deter- mine the effects of environment and hybrid on rapid-visco-analysis (RVA) fl our properties of commercially available food-grade sorghum. A randomized complete block experiment was planted in 12 environments, which included the 2004 and 2005 growing seasons and irrigated and dryland water regimes in eastern, central, and west central Nebraska, and a dryland, low-N environment in eastern Nebraska. The environment accounted for 71-85% of the total variation in RVA parameters, while the hybrid accounted for 11-23% and the environment- by-hybrid interaction, 1-3%. Unfortunately, the results of this experiment suggest that it is dif- fi cult to predict the effect that environment will have on resulting sorghum-fl our parameters. Although of secondary importance in terms of total variation in sorghum-fl our RVA properties, the choice of hybrid predictably and signifi - cantly contributes to sorghum-starch viscosity properties. Food-grade hybrids were grouped based on viscosity properties into those best suited for dry-mill and alkaline-cooked prod- ucts (Asgrow Orbit; Sorghum Partners NK1486) and those best suited for porridge, consumable alcohol, and ethanol production (Kelly Green Seeds KG6902; NC+ Hybrids 7W92; Asgrow Eclipse; and Fontanelle W-1000). These results were consistent with those previously reported for grain density.
Novel Fortified Blended Foods: Preference Testing with Infants and Young Children in Tanzania and Descriptive Sensory Analysis.
The preference of porridge made from extruded fortified blended foods (FBFs) compared to a current nonextruded product (corn soy blend plus [CSB+]) among infants and young children was studied in Mwanza region, Tanzania. Five extruded, fortified blends were chosen as novel FBFs in this study: (i) corn soy blend 14 (CSB14), (ii) white sorghumFontanelle 4525 soy blend (SSB), (iii) white sorghumFontanelle 4525 cowpea blend (WSC1), (iv) white sorghum738Y cowpea blend (WSC2), and (v) red sorghum217X Burgundy cowpea blend (RSC). Paired preference testing between CSB+ and each novel FBF was conducted using approximately 600 children for each pair. Results showed that infants and young children prefer CSB14 and SSB over CSB+. Children did not show a preference between CSB+ and any of the 3 sorghum cowpea blends (WSC1, WSC2, and RSC) probably because of a distinct beany flavor from cowpea that they were not familiar with. This study indicated that novel FBFs have potential to be used successfully as supplementary food with higher or comparable preference compared to FBFs currently used in food aid programs.


PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Successful novel fortified blended foods (FBFs) can be developed with appropriate nutrition and sensory appeal from indigenous and alternative food sources. Development of such foods requires an understanding not only of the nutritional composition, but also how ingredients impact sensory properties and how they can influence preferences. From this research, novel FBFs from sorghum and cowpea were shown to be equally or preferentially preferred and should be successful. Such information is important for creating new standards and alternative formulations for FBFs.
The Performance of Insecticides – A Critical Review
As part of minimizing the risk of crop losses due to herbivorous arthropods (here, mainly referring to insects and mites), most of the World’s commercial food production systems are subjected to several applications of pesticides before being harvested. Some crops are sprayed 10-20 times, while most field crops are sprayed 1-5 times during the growing sea‐ son. In the US alone, the average number of insecticide applications ranges from 1-3 for most of the major field crops, and the total annual costs of pesticide applications exceed $1.3 billion ([1], U.S. Department of Agriculture agricultural statistics services: www.nass.us‐ da.gov/). Several large ag-producing countries publish extensive details on insecticide use, including Australia, and the data presented below were collected from a public website (http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/nass/AgriChemUsFruits//2000s/2008/AgriChemUs‐ Fruits-05-21-2008.pdf) on pesticide applications in the US in 2006. A somewhat extreme but also important example is the fresh sweet maize production in the US, which was grown on about 85,000 ha. Based on data from 14 US states, 20 different active ingredients of herbi‐ cides were applied an average 1.04 times to fresh sweet maize and amounted to about 2.6 kg of active ingredients of herbicides per ha. The same data suggested that about 3.5 kg of 23 different active ingredients of insecticides were applied on average 2.10 times per ha. Simi‐ larly, tomato fields (grown on about 42,000 ha in the US in 2006) were treated with 12 differ‐ ent active ingredients of herbicides, which were applied, on average, 1.14 times and the equivalent of about 0.7 kg of active ingredients per ha. Regarding insecticides, the same to‐ mato fields were treated with 32 different active ingredients, which were applied an average of 3.6 times and equal to about 4.9 kg of active ingredients per ha. While tomatoes and sweet corn may be close to the top of the list of growing crops receiving pesticide treatments, cau‐ liflower, celery, and many other horticultural crops and fruits are also subjected to intensive pesticide spraying regimes. Thus, farmers acknowledge that weeds and arthropods can po‐ tentially cause significant economic losses, and total pesticide application costs are low