Sorghum Seed Color as an Indicator of Tannin Content

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Abstract
Tannins are a concern to nutritionists, production managers, purchasing agents, and feed mill managers when sorghum is used in poultry rations. Often, sorghum seed color is used to estimate the tannin content of the grain. An experiment was conducted to determine the adequacy of seed color as an indicator of tannin content. Sorghum cultivars from different genetic backgrounds were assayed for tannin content and seed lightness. The results of this experiment indicate that: 1) Seed color is a poor indicator of tannin content in sorghums containing small to moderate tannin levels; 2) A broad range of color is observed in high tannin samples, yet those with the highest tannin contents have the darkest seed coats; 3) The color of the sorghum seed coats is not an adequate indicator of tannin content, therefore, other qualitative and/or quantitative methods of determining tannin content should be employed.