Influence of Grain Size on the Agglomeration and Quality of Fine Couscous Derived from Decorticated White Sorghum Bicolor L.
Copyright © 2025 Cherifa Mahieddine, Boubekeur Nadjemi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Aims: This study sought to estimate the effect of white Sorghum bicolor L. grain size and the decortication process on the production yield, physicochemical characteristics, cooking properties, color, and sensory quality of sorghum-based couscous.
Methods: White Sorghum bicolor L. grains originating from the same crop batch were initially separated into three distinct fractions based on their size. These fractionated grains were subsequently decorticated and milled to obtain sorghum semolina, which was then agglomerated to produce three respected homemade couscous samples. For comparative analysis, commercial ready-made durum semolina was employed to prepare a control couscous sample. All samples, including the control, were meticulously evaluated for their proximate composition (specifically protein, starch, and dietary fiber content), cooking properties, color indices, and overall sensory attributes.
Results: The three homemade couscous samples of sorghum were produced with a high yield, ranging from 88.42 to 90.27%, significantly surpassing the control yield of 82.30 %. The nutritional composition of the sorghum samples—namely the protein, starch and dietary fiber contents was both high and showed significant variations dependent on the initial grain size. The protein, starch, and dietary fiber contents in the sorghum couscous samples ranged from 11.45 to 14.67%, 60.18 to 75.51%, and 2.61–10.55%, respectively. Furthermore, the sorghum couscous exhibited a noticeably darker color compared to the control. Sorghum couscous samples A and B exhibited favorable cooking quality, although they required a prolonged cooking time. They also achieved moderate overall acceptability scores for appearance and color. Conversely, sorghum couscous C was characterized by poor cooking loss and received lower sensory attribute scores.
Conclusions: The findings definitively confirm the significant influence of grain size on both the semolina agglomeration process and the ultimate quality characteristics of the sorghum couscous. Moreover, the decortication process was associated with the production yield, particle size distribution, and color profile of the final sorghum couscous product.
Keywords
How to Cite
AACC International, Approved methods of analysis, 11th Ed. Method 66-50.01. Pasta and Noodle Cooking Quality-Firmness. Approved November 3, 1999. AACC International. St. Paul; MN, USA. https://dx.doi.org/10.1094/AACCIntMethod66-50.01
Aboubacar, A., Yazici, N., & Hamaker, B. R. (2006). Extent of decortication and quality of flour, couscous and porridge made from different sorghum cultivars. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 41(6), 698–703. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.01138.x
Aboubacar, A., & Hamaker, B. R. (1999). Physicochemical properties of flours that relate to sorghum couscous quality. Cereal Chemistry, 76(2), 308–313. https://doi.org/10.1094/cchem.1999.76.2.308
Anglani, C. (1998). Sorghum for human food – A review. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 52(1), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1008065519820
AOAC official method 978.10, Fibre (crude) in animal feed and pet food, official methods of analysis of AOAC international, 18th edition (2005), chapter 4, pp. 46-47, AOAC International, Gaithersburg, MD.
Aydin, E. (2022). Evaluation of chemical composition and cooking properties of Turkish type gluten-free rice couscous. Czech Journal of Food Sciences, 40(6), 427–437. https://doi.org/10.17221/223/2021-cjfs
Biao, C. (2017). PROCESSING: Fast-cooking yam couscous. Spore, 186, 15.
Chemache, L., Kehal, F., Namoune, H., Chaalal, M., & Gagaoua, M. (2018). Couscous: Ethnic making and consumption patterns in the Northeast of Algeria. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 5(3), 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2018.08.002
Cruz, J. F., Hounhouigan Djidjoho, J., Havard, M., & Ferré, T. (2020). La transformation des grains (p. 198). éditions Quae. https://doi.org/10.35690/978-2-7592-2784-6
Elkhalifa, A. E. O., Bernhardt, R., Cardone, G., Marti, A., Iametti, S., & Marengo, M. (2017). Physicochemical properties of sorghum flour are selectively modified by combined germination-fermentation. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 54(10), 3307–3313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-017-2781-7
Similar Articles
- Advantages and Drawbacks of Plant-Based Beverages as Alternatives to Animal Milk: A Multidimensional Review
- Ultrasound as pre-treatment for microwave drying of Myrtus communis fruits: Influence on phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity
- Comparative study of total phenolic content and antioxidant proprieties of Quercus fruit: flour and oil
- Development of ready-to-serve pineapple juice with coconut milk
- Zero hunger and malnutrition in the African continent is potentially feasible, if nutrition programs are prioritized politically and scientifically
- Amino acid profile and scores of some selected traditional diets commonly consumed in northwest zone, Nigeria
- Critical evaluation of the discrepancy between whole and refined foods: nutritional implications
- Traditional cereals-based foods in North African cuisine: Wheat as the cornerstone
- Simultaneous Determination of Acrylamide, Caffeic Acid, and Caffeine in Commercial Coffee Capsules Using a Rapid and Validated HPLC-DAD Approach
- Acid-Induced Gelation of European Eel Protein Isolate Fortified with Fish Oil: Enhancement of Physicochemical, Microstructural and Thermal Properties
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
NAJFNR is licensed under 