[basenjis]

I was reading the ingredients on Eukanuba Adult maintenance formula who claim to have 0% filler.

I believe it is a false claim as corn meal is definitely a filler, but what exactly
is sorghum? Is it a filler?


Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Rice, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid], Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals [Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate], DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract.

 

[rannmiller]

I've been wondering for a while, I remember reading it was a sweet kind of grain that can be used to make molasses. Here's what I found:

Sorghum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Numerous Sorghum species are used for food (as grain and in sorghum syrup or "sorghum molasses"), fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, as well as biofuels. Most species are drought tolerant and heat tolerant and are especially important in arid regions. They form an important component of pastures in many tropical regions. Sorghum species are an important food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia and is the "fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world".[1]
A sorghum species, Johnson Grass, is classified as a noxious weed.
The reclaimed stalks of the sorghum plant are used to make a decorative millwork material marketed as Kirei board.
Some species of sorghum can contain levels of hydrogen cyanide, hordenine and nitrates lethal to grazing animals in the early stages of the plant's growth. Stressed plants, even at later stages of growth, can also contain toxic levels of cyanide.
In India, and other places, Sweet Sorghum stalks are used for producing bio-fuel by squeezing the juice and then fermenting into ethanol. Texas A&M University in the United States is currently running trials to produce the best varieties for ethanol production from sorghum leaves and stalks in the USA.

 

[rannmiller]

So from what I can tell, it's like a filler/sweetener.

 

[LoveNewfies]

Sorghum is used as any other grain would be in dog food. It does provide protein and calories, is relatively rich in iron and phosphorus and, in general, is a rich source of B-complex vitamins.

So, it is used as most other grains would be in pet food - as a cheap ingredient to boost protein levels instead of using high quality meat sources.

It should be avoided just as much as corn, grains, etc.

Corn isn't typically used as a filler, more as a cheap alternative to using meat.

Grains, corn, etc. do add to the protein levels in dog food - always consider that when looking at the percent of protein in any dog food that contains these ingredients.