TITLE:
Development of Highly Digestible Grain Sorghum Lines Suitable for Efficient Dry-Grind Ethanol Production
AUTHORS:
Joan R. Hernandez, Sergio C. Capareda
KEYWORDS:
Bioethanol, Dry-Grind, Fermentation, Highly Digestible Grain Sorghum, Saccharification
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Sustainable Bioenergy Systems,
Vol.9 No.3,
August
9,
2019
ABSTRACT: Low-world oil prices but supportive government policies provide growing
environmental and energy security support favorable for the bioethanol market. The need to generate large and sustainable supply of biomass to make
bioethanol will require the development of crops grown specifically for
bioenergy production. Given the existing history of genetic improvement and
infrastructure available for sorghum, (Sorghum bicolor L.
Moench) hybrids will be one of the several species dedicated as energy crop and the subject of this study.
Texas A & M University Sorghum Breeding Program has developed hybrid
sorghum varieties with high protein digestibility and improved starch
digestibility. Most of the previous research on grain sorghum focused on the
digestibility of sorghum protein from the nutritional point of view. The aim of
the current study was to select best sorghum lines from relatively large and diverse
sorghum samples that breeders are currently working with for the
development of new low energy input liquefaction, saccharification and
fermentation methodologies to produce bioethanol. Limited researches studies
report on the performance of sorghum varieties in ethanol fermentation in relation
to the protein and starch digestibility of sorghum.