JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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Sorghum grain is an important cereal to be cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical areas. The extension of its cultivation and application in animal and poultry diets may reduce the need for imported corn. In order to determine the nutritive value of sorghum, 36 sorghum grain (SG) varieties and one type of corn were grown at the same location. The grains were analyzed for their nutrient composition. Results from of proximate analyses showed that the ash, crude protein (CP), phosphorous (P) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of SG were 1.72±0.54, 11.6±1.18, 0.34±0.03 and 8.35±3.93, respectively. The ether extract (EE) of SG was lower than Iranian and imported corns. Iranian corn had higher amounts of CP (10.7%), EE (5.9%) and CF (3.3%) than the imported one (7.8, 4.2 and 2.25). Tannin contents of low and high SG varieties were 0.021% and 0.998%, respectively. The apparent and true metabolizable energies (AME and TME) of SG were decreased due to increasing the tannin contents. The values of TME_n (3853, 3771 and 3213 Kcal/kg) showed significant differences (p < 0.05) among low, medium and high tannin sorghum (LTS, MTS and HTS) varieties. However, in comparison with the SG, the corn had higher amounts of TME (3853, 3771 and 3213 VS. 3947 Kcal/kg). LTS had the highest AME (3453 Kcal/kg) among all the grains, while there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between MTS (3458 Kcal/kg) and the two corn grains (3406 Kcal/kg).

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Iran, as the biggest producer of dates, has 25 percent of the world date production. More than 400 varieties of dates have been identified in Iran. Dates have a high nutritional value they contain considerable amounts of sugar, vitamins and minerals. For instance, 2830 kilocalories of energy are obtained from one kilogram of dates. Dates are economically suitable replacements for sugar in bee feeds. However, feeding bees with some varieties, which contain certain amounts of mannose and potassium, are harmful. This investigation was carried out in order to identify the most suitable variety of dates useful for bee feed and to determine its nutritional value as human food. In this study, the dominant varieties of date including Bam Mazafati, Behbahan Kabkab, Booshehr Kabkab, Jiroft Mazafati, Kangoroad, Khanizi, Khasi, Saameran, Shahani, Shahdadi and Zahedi, were collected and analysed. The amounts of moisture, fat, protein, ash, and minerals such as sodium, potassium, and calcium were determined. Also, sugar composition of the above varieties consisting of glucose, fructose and sucrose, was measured. Chemical methods (Lane-Eynon and Shaffer-Somogyi) and high performance liquid chromatography were used for sugar determination.

The results showed that, except for moisture and protein contents, there was no significant difference between fat and ash contents of the samples. Shahdadi and Zahedi had the highest and lowest moisture contents, respectively. Behbahan Kabkab and Shahdadi had the highest and lowest protein contents respectively. Jiroft Mazafati and Saameran had significantly the lowest amounts of potassium and mannose, respectively, while Kangoroad had significantly the highest amount of sucrose, which is use full for bees. Therefore, these three varieties were found to be suitable replacements for sugar in bee feeds, but considering their price, Saameran is recommended as the best feed for bees. On the other hand, with respect to the minerals and sugar contents, Behbahan Kabkab was found as the most nutritious date for human food.

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