Maize: A source of human nutrition and products

Maize or corn (Zea mays L.) is an important cereal crop of the world. It is a source of nutrition as well as phytochemicals. Decoction of maize silk, roots leaves, and cob are used for bladder problems, nausea, vomiting, and stomach complaints. Maize is also considered as low-cost-high-benefit ratio for human beings that help in the prevention of metabolic syndrome due to the presence of different antioxidants like phenols and phytosterols in it. Maize or corn can be consumed only after processing into different food items such as popcorn, flour, tortillas, cornflakes, corn germ oil, etc. Maize products are also used in supplementary nutritional programmes to feed the malnourished children and to improve their health status. The quality of maize products depends upon the agronomic practices and climatic condition.

Nutritional value of maize:

Protein: Maize contains 8–11% of protein that is made from different components like albumin, globulin, nonnitrogen substance, prolamin, etc. The protein content present in maize helps in the growth and maintenance of tissues, formation of essential body compounds, transport of nutrients, regulation of water balance, maintenance of appropriate pH, defence and detoxification as well.
B-complex vitamin: Maize is also enriched with B-complex vitamins that play a vital role in growth, healthy skin, heart, hair, brain, digestion, nails and dementia as well. Maize products can be used in the daily diet of coeliac patients to improve their health status. Maize is enriched with thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and folic acid as well.
Fat-soluble vitamins: The fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) act as antioxidants and scavenge the free radicals that help in protection against different types of cancer. The content of fat-soluble vitamin depends upon the genotype of maize whether it is fortified or not, that is, yellow maize is enriched with different types of carotenoid pigment due to its genotype, while white maize is deficient in carotenoid content due to absence of this genotype.
Minerals: The minerals present in maize have a vital role in bone development, tooth formation, haemoglobin formation, growth regulation, regulation of acid–base balance of the body, facilitation of energy transactions, absorption and transport of nutrients and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Popcorn is rich in minerals, whereas sweet corn is higher in many vitamins.
Fiber content: The fibre present in the maize helps to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of colon cancer. It helps you stay full for longer between meals.

Products of maize: There are varieties of products that can be derived after application of food processing methods like dry milling, wet milling and alkali processing to make it consumable for human beings. The products are discussed below:

Popcorn: A particular variety of corn is used to make popcorn and most famous food items derived from maize. It is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. Popping can be done with or without fat as well. Ready-to-cook popcorns are also easily available that are enriched with both nutrition and taste. Thus, it can be added as supplementary snacks in the diet of malnutrition children.

Cornflakes: Cornflakes are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). It is usually served cold with milk and sometimes sugar. The plain flakes have been flavored with salt, sugar and malt and many successive products with additional ingredients have been manufactured such as sugar frosted flakes and nut corn flakes.

Corn germ mail: It can be obtained by solvent extraction. Maize oil has become a highly desired vegetable oil owing to its relatively high level of linolenic fatty acid and its excellent flavour. The fat content of maize is 3.6%, and oil extracted from it can be refined to produce a high-quality vegetable oil for cooking or food use.

Corn starch: It is the most widely used product obtained from maize. It is made by a process of wet milling in which the hull and germ are removed and the corn ground and mixed with water. Corn starch is widely used because it is inexpensive, lacks characteristic flavour and cooks to a smooth and almost clear paste in water or other clear liquids and is superior to wheat flour or potato starch.

Degerminated flour: This consists mostly of the endosperm and has content of B vitamins. It is used by brewers as a starch medium for the action of barley malt in the preparation of wort for the production of beer. It is also used to make chapatti or bread in the northern region of India. The flour is supplemented with green leafy vegetables to make it more nutritious and healthy. The chapatti is famous around the Punjab as ‘makki di roti’ that is served with well-cooked mustard leaves along with butter.

Relationship of maize with human health: Being comparatively inexpensive, maize as a stable diet contributes to most of the caloric requirement.

It is useful for anaemic, haemorrhoid, cardiac and diabetic patients due to significant nutritional value of macro- and micronutrients in it. It is also helpful in the metabolism of carbohydrates due to the presence of thiamine in it.

CONCLUSION: Maize is a significant food source for much of the world’s population and represents a vehicle for vitamin and mineral deficiency intervention. There are several industrial processes that generate a wide variety of maize products to fulfill consumers’ habits and preferences. Many products of the industrial dry maize–milling processes may also be produced locally on a small scale as well as in the home .

Writer: Suchi Bhatt (Student, Bsc. Ag IAAS Paklihawa Campus)