Effect of various commercial enzymes on the clarification and composition of sorgo juice

Sorgo sirup is made from the raw, whole juice extracted from the stalk of Sorghum vulgare by passing them through a mill, removing the impurities, and concentrating the juice by evaporation. High quality sirup is light colored, mild flavored, clear, with high viscosity and no crystallization (3,10,18,28).

One of the major problems in production of high quality sorgo sirup is the removal or alteration of substances which would impart undesirable characteristics to the final product. Impurities are present in the juice as dissolved and undissolved solids; insoluble particles can be separated by physical means, whereas colloidal substances require other methods for removal.

The objectives of this work were (1) the clarification of sorgo juice using different enzyme systems, and (2) the determination of changes in concentration of glucose, nitrogen, and pectic material in the juice which showed improved clarification during the preliminary enzyme treatment.