b'3 Things to Know About BaijiuYouve likely never heard of the worlds most-consumed spirit, but baijiu is a big reason Chinese distillers are interested in American and Australian sorghum varieties. Compiled by Marc Zienkiewicz mzienkiewicz@issuesink.comITS THE WORLDSmost-con- Grains Council staff and a United Sorghum sumed spirit, and youve likely neverCheckoff Program (USCP) delegation. The heard of it, let alone had a taste. group visited baijiu production facilities as Its called baijiu, and its been con- well Jiangnan Southern University in Wuxi, sumed by the Chinese for a very longwhere research is being funded by the time. Distilled from fermented sorghumCouncil and USCP to discover what types and other grains, its been distilled inof sorghum are preferred for use in baijiu China since at least the Yuan Dynasty,and what recipes can draw out the favora-which began in 1271. Its the best-sellingble flavor compounds in these varieties.spirit in the world, with nearly 3 billion gal- 3. Tannin waxy sorghum is highly lons sold last year, according to statistics. prized for making baijiu, presumably Despite being little-known outside ofbecause alcohol can be made moreReece Cannady serves as manager of its home country, the sorghum breed- efficiently with waxy sorghum due toglobal trade for the U.S. Grains Council. ing community is becoming increasinglyreduced fermentation times. It is possi-aware of baijiu. Not because breedersble that the tannin trait mimics the grain prefer drinking it over other adult bever- traditionally used for baijiu production, ages, but because the baijiu industry isaccording to William Rooney, a sor-on the hunt for ideal varieties it can use toghum breeder at Texas A&M University. produce its prized product. According to Professor Chris Blanchard, Here are three things to know aboutthe director of the Australian Research this popular Asian beverage and its con- Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation nection to the sorghum breeding world. Training Centre for Functional Grains at 1. Chinese baijiu producers wantWagga Wagga in New South Wales, there sorghum from abroad. U.S. sorghum hasare lots of different types of baijiu from already been sold to China in 2019 for usedifferent regions with different charac-in the baijiu industry, according to Reeceteristics, so we need to understand the Cannady, U.S. Grains Council managercomplexities and see where the oppor-of global trade. Chinese researcherstunities are for Australian sorghum. will examine different formulations andResearchers are testing Australian sor-processes for creating baijiu with U.S.ghum varieties for alcohol yield and other sorghum varieties, comparing the effectparameters important to Chinese buyers. of U.S. sorghum to domestic ChineseBlanchard hopes lines of sorghum will sorghum in the distilling process.be identified, through collaboration with 2. Distillers in China are on the huntthe University of Queenslands Professor for new varieties. Cannady traveled toDavid Jordan, that will be ideal for baijiuChris Blanchard serves as director of the China in March with China-based U.S.production.SW Australian Research Council. 10/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2019'