International Sorghum and Millet Collaborative Research Support Program (INTSORMIL CRSP)
Date of this Version
4-2011
Document Type
Article
Citation
INTSORMIL Report No. 22, April 2011
Abstract
A study was recently conducted through INTSORMIL (Purdue Hamaker Project) to examine thick sorghum millet consumption related to preference and satiation in the Sikasso, Segou and Mopti regions of Mali. This is part of a larger study to understand the effect of thick porridges, and delayed glucose delivery to the body, on satiety and overall food consumption.
The conclusions from the following data is that porridges (tô) are generally eaten more frequently and are consumed in a thicker consistency in the villages (Figures 1 and 2), and are very satiating (Figure 3 thicker porridges correlated with lower hunger scores at 2 and 4 hours post-consumption). This research should be used in a promotional campaign to encourage urban populations to consume more sorghum and millet tô. Possible campaign solgans could be something similar to “eat sorghum and millet, they are healthy satiating foods.”
Particularly in this time of high prices for grain imports, this could be helpful. (a little calculation – if one million families ate one more meal a week of sorghum/millet tô (using about 1 kg of flour for the meal), that is about 50,000 metric tonnes of grain a year, which is more than the total wheat imports into Mali in 2008).