Functional Grains Centre scientists have poured a glass or two of the Chinese alcoholic drink baijiu to highlight their research to grow Australian sorghum markets.

The free tasting event was held to mark World Baijiu Day at Charles Sturt in Wagga Wagga on Friday 9 August.

FGC post doctoral researcher Dr Siong Tan said baijiu is popular in China, representing a third of global spirit sales.

“Baijiu is a clear spirit usually distilled from fermented sorghum that’s between 40 to 60 per cent alcohol,” said Dr Tan.

“Research at the Functional Grains Centre is examining the quality requirements of sorghum used for baijiu production in China.

“Australian sorghum is an important summer crop in Queensland and northern NSW, but most of the grain is used as stock feed.

"We believe there are opportunities to add real export value to the sorghum for Australian producers by understanding the science behind Chinese baijiu production.”

The event was attended by more than 30 people who were guided through the tasting by Charles Sturt researcher Professor Anthony Saliba.

Dr Tan explained the project and talked about the significance of World Baijiu Day.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation has invested in the five-year research project titled ‘Expanding options for sorghum – food and distilling’, which is value adding for the grain.

You can learn more about our research in the video below.