Corn is one of the most abundant grain crops worldwide. It is high in starch and protein, but it lacks two essential amino acids - lysine and tryptophan; as a result, it is not a suitable protein substitute. But when corn is consumed along with beans and other legumes, it provides a complete protein.

Common Varieties:

• Flint corn is used to make cornmeal.
• Flour corn has soft, starchy kernels that are easily ground into flour, making it a favorite with Native Americans to make tortillas and other corn dishes.
• Sweet corn is the type consumed as a vegetable. It can be cooked in different ways; on the cob or with the soft kernels removed and served fresh or frozen or canned.
• Popcorn is a special variety that grows on a cob smaller than those of sweet or field corn. As the kernels are heated rapidly, the moisture inside them is converted to steam. When the steam pressure builds to a certain point, it bursts the outer shell and the interior turns into a fluffy mass of starch and fiber many times larger than the original kernel.

Benefits:

• Corn is also a good source of thiamine phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A and C.
• Air-popped unbuttered popcorn is low in calories and very high in fiber which aids in digestion. A cup of air-popped plain popcorn has only 30 calories, making it an ideal high-fiber snack. But popping the corn in oil and adding a tablespoon of butter, however, increases the calorie content more than fivefold, to about 155 per cup.
• Corn is a low-fat complex carbohydrate which makes is a healthy alternative to white bread.
• Cooked sweet corn has significant antioxidant activity, which can substantially reduce the chance of heart disease and cancer. Cooked sweet corn retains its antioxidant activity, despite the loss of vitamin C.

Common Corn Products:

• Breakfast cereals: cornflakes and other ready-to-eat cereals.
• Cornmeal: corn bread, corn chips, muffins, polenta, tortillas, and other dishes made from ground corn.
• Flour: fillers and thickeners; combined with wheat flour to make breads and other baked goods.
• Grits and hominy: cooked cereal; starchy vegetable dish.
• Oil: cooking oil, margarine, salad dressings and shortenings
• Starch: thickener in baked goods, candy, chewing gum, gravies and other sauces and puddings.
• Sugar and syrup: sweeteners in baked goods, jams and jellies, soft drinks, beer, ale and many other products.

Note: Most of the niacin in corn is in the form of niacytin which is not broken down in the human digestive tract. But it was later discovered that combining the corn with an alkaline substance releases the niacin in niacytin; thus, the practice of mixing cornmeal with lime water to make tortillas prevented pellagra (disease cause by deficiency of niacin).