Peer review

Treatment of high-tannin sorghum grain with moist, alkaline conditions was shown to substantially reduce the amount of tannin as measured by three chemical assays. Chicks fed a high-tannin grain (Savannah III), treated as the whole grain with dilute ammonium hydroxide for 30 days, showed 3-week weight gains and feed efficiencies which were statistically equivalent to those of chicks fed an untreated low-tannin control (RS-610). A shorter treatment of a ground high-tannin grain (BR-54) with a 0.5 M aqueous solution of K2CO3 resulted in a comparable improvement in weight gains and a substantial improvement in feed efficiencies. Treatment of the same grain with moisture and CaO gave an improvement of a lesser magnitude. Increases in available protein after treatments did not appear sufficient to account for the nutritional improvements.

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