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L. Maize / meɪz / ( Zea mays ), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native Americans planted it alongside beans and squashes in the Three Sisters polyculture.
- Overview
- Domestication and history
- Physical description
- Types of corn
- Genetically modified corn
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Corn is a tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) that is widely grown for its large elongated ears of starchy seeds. The seeds, which are also known as corn, are used as food for humans and livestock and as a source of biofuel and can be processed into a wide range of useful chemicals.
When was corn first domesticated?
Corn was originally domesticated in Mexico by native peoples by about 9,000 years ago. They used many generations of selective breeding to transform a wild teosinte grass with small grains into the rich source of food that is modern Zea mays.
Why do corn kernels pop?
A popcorn kernel has an extremely hard hull that surrounds a mass of moist starchy endosperm (the food of the embryo). When such a kernel is heated to about 400 °F (about 200 °C), the moisture in the starch turns into steam and builds up pressure until the kernel explodes inside out into an irregular white fluffy mass about 20 to 40 times the kernel’s original size. About 25 corn varieties are suitable for popcorn.
corn, (Zea mays), cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as livestock feed, as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry.
Corn was first domesticated by native peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Modern corn is believed to have been derived from the Balsas teosinte (Zea mays parviglumis), a wild grass. Its culture had spread as far north as southern Maine by the time of European settlement of North America, and Native Americans taught European colonists...
The corn plant is a tall annual grass with a stout, erect, solid stem. The large narrow leaves have wavy margins and are spaced alternately on opposite sides of the stem. Staminate (male) flowers are borne on the tassel terminating the main axis of the stem. The pistillate (female) inflorescences, which mature to become the edible ears, are spikes ...
Commercial classifications, based mainly on kernel texture, include dent corn, flint corn, flour corn, sweet corn, and popcorn. Dent corn, primarily grown as animal feed and for food manufacturing, is characterized by a depression in the crown of the kernel caused by unequal drying of the hard and soft starch making up the kernel. Flint corn, containing little soft starch, has no depression; it is used for decoration and is eaten as hominy in the Americas. Flour corn, composed largely of soft starch, has soft, mealy, easily ground kernels and is an important source of corn flour. Sweet corn, commonly sold fresh, frozen, or canned as a vegetable, has wrinkled translucent seeds; the plant sugar is not converted to starch as in other types. Popcorn, an extreme type of flint corn characterized by small hard kernels, is devoid of soft starch, and heating causes the moisture in the cells to expand, making the kernels explode. Improvements in corn have resulted from hybridization, based on crossbreeding of superior inbred strains.
Britannica Quiz
Many industrial and feedstock varieties of corn are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) engineered for resistance to the herbicide glyphosate or to produce proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to kill specific insect pests. In addition, some strains have been genetically engineered for greater drought tolerance and to increase their nutritio...
Corn is a cereal plant and its grain, domesticated in the Americas and widely cultivated worldwide. Learn about its physical description, varieties, genetics, and applications in food, feed, biofuel, and industry.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 14, 2023 · Learn about the nutrients, antioxidants, and plant compounds in corn, a popular cereal grain. Find out how corn may affect your health, digestion, and eye health.
Nov 13, 2023 · Learn about the different kinds of corn, how to prepare and store it, and what health effects it can have. Corn is a starchy vegetable that can be sweet or flint, and has fiber, antioxidants, and quercetin.
Feb 15, 2024 · Learn how corn can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the type and preparation. Find out the pros and cons of bioengineered corn, and some alternatives to corn.
- Kathi Valeii
Jun 29, 2024 · Corn - Food, Fuel, Animal Feed: Corn is one of the world's most dominant crops. It is grown extensively as food for humans and livestock and to produce the biofuel ethanol. Many parts of the plant, including the stalks, husks, and cobs, are used for industrial purposes.
Jul 5, 2024 · Buis suggests turning the corn four times—once on each side—and cooking it for 40 minutes to an hour. “We used to do corn for a lot of parties that way when we had a big pit, a lot of time, and a lot of help,” he says. Tips for microwaving corn on the cob: If you want to use the microwave to cook your corn, again, soak the ears in the ...
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