Sorghum (S. bicolor L. Moench) is a staple commodity in several parts of the world and ranks fifth as a cereal crop in terms of production and utilization. However, the food quality of sorghum has not yet been clearly defined, probably because it is not used in commercial foods to the extent that wheat, rice, and maize are utilized. In sorghum consuming areas, only limited quantities of the product appears in metropolitan markets, and there are few if any standards available to distinguish grain quality, which is evaluated primarily by subjective criteria such as kernel color, appearance, size, and shape.

Sorghum sankati is a type of thick porridge consumed in South lndia and is prepared by cooking coarse flour grits from either dehulled grain or whole grain. Domestic methods of sankati preparation and consumption are described. Thirty sorghum cuhivars were evaluated for sankati quality by using taste panels at two locations. Grain with intermediate and hard endosperm texture anda white creamy pericarp produced sankati with the preferred qualities

Extract: Five vegetables, blanched using either microwave or hot water methods, were examined after 1, 2, 4, and 6 months of frozen storage. The vegetables were analyzed for residual peroxidase activity immediately after blanching. Storage stability of cooked and uncooked vegetables was determined by examining various quality factors after each period of frozen storage. Quality factors included color, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability of vegetables as measured using objective methodology and sensory evaluation. Broccoli and zucchini retained high levels of peroxidase activity after microwave blanching. Broccoli and green beans blanched with microwave energy retained less chlorophyll, had higher shear force values, and received lower sensory evaluation scores than the water blanched vegetables. The texture of zucchini blanched with microwave energy was limp as measured by shear force and by sensory evaluation. No significant differences were found in the quality of carrots or cauliflower blanched by the 2 methods. Instructions currently available for microwave blanching of vegetables for home freezing do not uniformly result in a good quality product. (author/kbc)