Nutritive and health value, physico-chemical properties, sensory characteristics and acceptability of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) composite as staple

C18 rice variety also called IR8 of BPI-76 (intermediate amylase content type) was combined with ICSV 700 sweet sorghum variety to obtain 11 different sweet sorghum composites (rice and sweet sorghum mixture) namely: 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70, 20:80, 10:90, and 0:100. The sweet sorghum composites were subjected to chemical analyses, physio-chemical tests, cooking parameter optimization and sensory evaluation. ICSV 700 sweet sorghum when added to C18 rice variety increased the amount of fiber (0.44% to 2.44%), fat (3.24% to 5.46%), protein (7.21% to 10.49%), dietary fiber (0.37% to 2.45%), and total antioxidant activity (7.25% to 61.20%). Both ICSV 700 sweet sorghum and C18 rice variety had almost the same gel consistency, rice hardness, and water solubility index. Gelatinization temperature of ICSV 700 sweet sorghum was relatively higher at 81 deg C to 100 deg C than C18 rice variety at 74.5 deg C to 80 deg C. Water absorption index was also found to be higher with increased amount of sweet sorghum in the samples than pure rice. In general, all sweet sorghum composites were acceptable with regard to color, aroma, cohesiveness, taste, and tenderness and with a general acceptability score range from 3.09 to 5.77 ('medyo ayaw/relatively unliked' to 'gusto/liked'). A strong significant correlation was observed between the acceptability and the sensory characteristics. Correlation coefficient were observed at 0.73003 for color, 0.78540 for aroma, 0.73252 for cohesiveness, 0.80369 for taste, and 0.82301 for tenderness. The study showed that 80:20 sweet sorghum composite was 'most liked' in terms of its sensory characteristics. The study indicated that 80:20 sweet sorghum composite, due to its nutritive and health benefits, is a potential alternative staple. Based on the nutrient contribution of the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI) for Filipinos, the 80:20 sweet sorghum composite is a good source of energy and protein. It is recommended that test for acceptability of other sweet sorghum varieties should be conducted to further support its acceptability. The nutritional and health benefits of sweet sorghum consumption should be further studied considering its high antioxidant activity and fiber content. Clinical tests should be conducted to further verify the health benefits of sweet sorghum. Promotion on the nutritional and health benefits of sweet sorghum should be done to enhance sweet sorghum as a potential functional staple.