EVALUATION OF FOUR SORGHUM HYBRIDS THROUGH THE ...

Introduction:
Flour tortillas may have started as an ethnic food being used in burritos, tacos, and
fajitas, but the United States is stretching the tortilla in other areas as a bread
replacement. Typically called a wrap, the tortilla is being used to carry salads,
sandwiches, and even breakfast items (Seiz 2006). According to the Tortilla Industry
Association, 78% of fine dining restaurants have tortillas in a menu item (Petrak 2006a).
The supermarket is seeing the popularity of tortillas as well with sales reaching $1
billion (Petrak 2006b). Part of this popularity comes from important innovation with
whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids being used in a normally plain product (Seiz 2006).
With tortillas going mainstream, sales doubled in the past decade (Petrak 2006b).
But, there are some people who are not able to contribute to such a growth.
Approximately 1:266 people in the world have celiac disease, and about 1:100
individuals are affected in the U.S. (Case 2006). Also known as gluten-sensitive
enteropathy or celiac sprue, celiac disease is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the
upper small intestine resulting from the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible
individuals (Case 2006). Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. These
grains are found in common foods like bread, ready to eat cereal, and of course flour
tortillas. The development of flour tortillas with gluten-free grains would allow celiac
patients to remain included in the growth and cultural development of food products.
Sorghum is a world wide gluten-free grain. According to the U.S. Grains
Council (2008), grain sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world.
In the U.S., grain sorghum is the third most important. In 2006, the United States
produced 393.7 million bushels of sorghum. Of the U.S. production, 89% came from the
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