What Is Sorghum Red Extract?

What is sorghum?

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a drought-tolerant cereal from the same family as maize and wheat. Its grain is milled into gluten-free sorghum flour, while certain varieties accumulate intense red pigment in their husks and leaf sheaths. The term red sorghum usually refers to these pigmented varieties.

What is sorghum red extract?

Sorghum red extract (also called sorghum red or sorghum pigment) is a plant-based colouring ingredient extracted from the husks and leaf sheaths of pigmented sorghum varieties. It gives red, reddish-brown and burgundy shades to food formulations. The colour comes from the 3-deoxyanthocyanidin pigments apigeninidin and luteolinidin. These pigments are known to resist heat and pH change better than the common anthocyanins found in sources such as grape skin or black carrot.

How is it produced?

Production consists of sorting the pigmented sorghum husks or leaf sheaths, extraction with water or dilute ethanol, filtration, concentration and drying. The result is a dark red-brown powder or a liquid concentrate. Some manufacturers add a carrier such as maltodextrin to standardise colour strength; the type and proportion of carrier should be stated in the specification.

Sorghum flour vs sorghum red extract

Sorghum flour is a gluten-free flour milled from the sorghum grain; it is used as a main ingredient in bread, biscuits and extruded products at inclusion rates in the tens of percent. Sorghum red extract is a pigment extract from the husk and leaf sheath, not the grain; it is used at low dosage only to give colour, not for nutritional value. Stating clearly which one you need when requesting a quotation avoids receiving a price for the wrong product.

Applications in food production

Sorghum red extract is evaluated for natural red-brown shades in beverages, confectionery and jellies, bakery products, fruit preparations, sauces, meat product coatings and snack seasonings. In heat-treated products it is trialled as an alternative to anthocyanin-based colours. The dosage is set by production trial according to the target shade and the colour strength of the product.

Technical properties and quality criteria

A sorghum red extract specification should state: colour value (absorbance at a defined wavelength or colour units), product form (powder or liquid), carrier type and proportion, water solubility, moisture, pH, heavy metals, residual solvent and microbiological values. Solubility and shade change with pH; research shows apigeninidin is poorly soluble around pH 5 and more stable in neutral to slightly alkaline conditions. The extract should therefore always be tested at the pH, heat treatment and light conditions of your own product.

Regulation: what to verify before ordering

Sorghum red has no E number. It has a food colourant standard in some countries such as China; its status may differ in other markets. Before ordering, confirm with your regulatory team in which food categories, under which status and with which label declaration sorghum extract may be used in the country where your product will be sold. PERDIST shares the manufacturer specification and ingredient declaration with the quotation to support this assessment.

Choosing a supplier, price and minimum order

When comparing sorghum red extract suppliers, look at colour value rather than price per kilogram alone: a product with twice the colour strength is used at half the dosage. Price depends on colour value, product form, carrier proportion, packaging and order quantity. Ask the supplier for a batch-specific certificate of analysis (COA), certificate of origin and evidence of batch-to-batch colour consistency. PERDIST compares specifications from more than one manufacturer and states minimum order, sample availability and lead time in a written quotation.

Frequently asked questions