A new Australian-based research study into sweet sorghum has shown the huge potential of the crop as a single source of energy, food and animal feed.
Sweet sorghum is receiving significant global interest because of its potential as a multi-product crop, however there has been minimal research under Australian growing conditions or using Australian processing facilities, until now.
Sweet sorghum is a fast growing plant that produces a stalk up to five metres tall with a high concentration of fermentable sugars at a level similar to that of sugarcane, and produces a large panicle of edible, nutritional grain similar to that of grain sorghum. Unlike many other crops used for renewable energy production, sweet sorghum can simultaneously produce food and feed co-products.
Conducted by QUT in collaboration with industry partner AgriFuels Ltd, the research looked at sweet sorghum’s agronomy, its ability to be processed using existing processing infrastructure, its carbon footprint, using it to produce biofuels, and its use in food products for humans, fish and livestock.
Read More: Sweet sorghum may be the perfect crop (Science Alert).