Beryl Ochieng has been turning sweet sorghum stalks, often thought of as waste product, into ready to drink juices, wines and Jams.
Beryl Ochieng has fallen in love with sweet sorghum stalks. The food and science masters’ degree student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology has been turning the stalks, often thought of as waste product, into ready to drink juices, wines and Jams.
“Many people do not know, but the sweet sorghum stalk is very nutrient-rich and produces sweet juices from it stalks,” she says.
She was exhibiting some of her products at the just concluded Central Kenya National Show in Nyeri at the weekend.
Over the last four years Beryl has been experimenting with the sorghum stalks and says that she is now ready to take them to the market.
Sorghum stalks mature in three to four months compared to sugarcane that takes between one and two years to mature.
These qualities have made the plant ideal for brewers. However, Beryl believes that the potential of this plant is limitless and remains largely unexplored.
She intends to sign up more farmers to produce sorghum stalk for her in order to meet the demand and operation costs in the future. “We are currently pursuing partners I can liaise with to grow my business into a bigger industry,” she says.
Juices, wines and jam made of the sweet sorghum stalk are usually blended with several other tropical fruits. The additives increase the nutritional value of the stalk.
For instance she adds watermelon, pineapple among other fruits to the wine that retails at Sh1,000. The prices of juices range between Sh50 and Sh250, depending on the size, while jams sell at between Sh150 and Sh100. Syrups go for Sh250.
“Acceptability of these products takes some time because people are still wary and they think the stalk is some sort bitter. But we recommend it because of its nutrition value,” said Ms Ochieng.
The juice is extracted from the stalk using a crusher that squeezes the succulent sap off the plant. After the juice is minted off the plant, the food technologist then uses the stalk to make sorghum-based poultry feeds.
“Sorghum has a balanced nutritional profile and is gluten-free, has high protein, cholesterol free. It is also a source of a variety of essential nutrients including dietary fiber and minerals,” she explained.
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