New Commercially Viable Processing Technologies for the Production of Sugar Feedstocks from Sweet Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) for Manufacture of Biofuels and Bioproducts

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) has been widely recognized as a promising sugar feedstock crop because it: (i) is among the plants giving the highest yields of carbohydrates per hectare; (ii) is easily cultivated from seed; (iii) has low input requirements and wide geographic suitability; and (iv) has huge breeding potential. One of the fundamental processing areas identified by industry for the commercial, large-scale manufacture of liquid biofuels and bioproducts from sweet sorghum is the stabilization and clarification of juice to make it suitable for concentration into syrup for long-term storage, year-round supply, efficient transport, and acceptable fermentation yields. This paper reviews and discusses recent developments of commercially viable processing technologies to stabilize sweet sorghum juice and syrup feedstocks for use in downstream fermentations for manufacture of biofuels and bioproducts.

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