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UK’s ‘Dr. Sorghum’ Cooks up Interest in Age-Old Treat
By
Terri McLean
 FRANKFORT,
Ky., (Nov. 1, 2006) – It’s an age-old sweet treat prepared in a
timeless manner. Yet, sorghum syrup appears to be gaining new
ground in popularity in Kentucky and beyond.
This mild-flavored syrup, first made in the Colonial days, is
being “rediscovered” as a nutritious flavoring, a seasoning
ingredient and a sugar substitute, said Morris Bitzer, sweet
sorghum breeder for the University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture. There is hardly a food served today that the thick,
amber-colored syrup won’t improve, he added.
“It’s so versatile,” said Bitzer while demonstrating his
syrup-making prowess at Kentucky State University’s research
farm in Franklin County.
Sorghum syrup is also 100-percent natural, which largely
accounts for its recent comeback, he said. It is made from the
natural juice extracted from sorghum cane. The juice is cleansed
of impurities and concentrated by evaporation in open pans. The
syrup retains its natural sugars and other nutrients.
“The main thing is that it’s the most nutritious sweetener. It’s
very high in potassium, very high in iron and very high in
antioxidants. It’s one of the top six foods in antioxidants,”
Bitzer said as he handed out fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits
dripping with sorghum syrup.
One thing it’s not, however, is molasses. Molasses is a
byproduct of sugarcane.
“Don’t call it molasses,” Bitzer said. “Sorghum molasses is a
colloquial term because so much sorghum used to taste like black
strap molasses. They didn’t make good syrup. They made strong
dark black stuff. We’ve learned how to make better sorghum syrup
in the last 10 to 15 years.”
 Bitzer,
a.k.a. Dr. Sorghum, travels the state each fall with cooking pan
in tow to promote sorghum syrup’s goodness. But as much as he
likes to tout the edible benefits of the syrup, he also hopes to
win over farmers – especially former tobacco farmers – who might
be looking for an alternative crop. Sorghum cane is a
drought-resistant, heat-tolerant member of the grass family that
grows well in Kentucky and other southeastern states. It’s
planted in May or June and harvested in September through a
killing frost.
“This (sorghum cane) will produce more income per acre than
tobacco,” he insists.
Indeed, at an average of $20 per gallon and 150 gallons per
acre, sorghum syrup production can be a profitable enterprise.
In 2005, Kentucky’s sorghum syrup production was worth more than
$10 million.
Yet, Bitzer said, the current acreage – about 3,000 acres – is
just over one-half of Kentucky’s potential. The average producer
grows fewer than 5 acres of sorghum cane, while the largest
Kentucky producers grow more than 50 acres.
“Sorghum syrup has the potential for over $2,000 net per acre,
and the market is there for many more producers,” he said.
Sorghum syrup is also a known commodity. It was introduced into
the United States in 1852 and has, at one time or another, been
produced in every one of the contiguous 48 states.
Sorghum cane is grown extensively for syrup production in the
southeast. Kentucky is the No. 1 state in sorghum production and
is one of eight states in the southeast and Midwest that produce
about 90 percent of the total U.S. output. The University of
Kentucky is the primary supplier of sweet sorghum seed for the
world, Bitzer said.
There appears to be interest in international production, as
well, but not so much for producing syrup; rather, for producing
ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel that can
be made from such agricultural crops as sorghum, sugarcane,
corn, barley and wheat.
“All countries are interested in ethanol production, and sorghum
can produce more ethanol per acre than any other crop,” Bitzer
said.
Whether he’s handing out mini-biscuits dripping with sorghum
syrup or talking cane-growing techniques, Bitzer stays busy in
his unofficial role as sorghum ambassador. He is the executive
secretary for both the Kentucky and the National Sweet Sorghum
Association in addition to his post-retirement appointment as a
sorghum breeder.
“I’m the guy they call,” he said. “In the last five, six or
seven years, I’ve just been snowballed.” |
Contact: Morris Bitzer, 859-257-5020, ext. 80749 |
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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