Promoting Sorghum Reserve Protein Mobilisation by Steeping in Alkaline Liquor

Mobilisation of sorghum storage reserve proteins by steeping in alkaline liquor for 48 h under four different regimes was evaluated. Germination was for 4 days at 30°C. Cold water soluble protein (CWS-protein), CWS-protein modification index, total non protein nitrogen (TNPN), peptide accumulation, FAN, endo- and exo-protease activities—all key indicators of protein mobilisation were highly significantly affected by steep regime, steep liquor and cultivar as well as their pairwise interactions. Mean FAN and TNPN were significantly higher (P < 0.0005) for malts derived from alkaline steep liquor except for KSV 8 which exhibited significant inhibition of TNPN development. Similarly, alkaline steeping promoted protein solubilisation and CWS-protein modification. While parallel improvements in amylolysis and proteolysis were recorded for ICSV 400, proteolysis in KSV 8 and SK 5912 seemed more enhanced except for SK 5912 exposed to air rest cycles. Steeping in alkaline liquor also caused significant repression of the proteases in KSV 8. Conversely, steeping SK 5912 under similar conditions promoted rather than inhibited development of these enzymes. Poor correlation between protein degradation products and enzyme development suggest major roles for factors other than proteolysis in sorghum reserve protein mobilisation.