Maize

:This article is about the cereal. For the town, see Maize, Kansas.

Uses for maize

The primary use for corn (seed) in United States and Canada, is as a feed for livestock, while some is for the production of corn sweeteners like corn syrup, and the production of ethanol. Ethanol, a type of alcohol, is mostly used as an additive in gasoline to increase the octane rating.

Related Topics:
United States - Canada - Livestock - Corn syrup - Ethanol - Alcohol - Gasoline - Octane

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Human consumption of corn and corn meal constitute only a very small percentage of the United States and Canada production, but in Mexico its use for human consumption is very important as it is the main ingredient for tortilla and many other dishes of Mexican food.

Related Topics:
United States - Canada - Mexico - Tortilla - Mexican food

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Maize can also be prepared as hominy, in which the kernels are bleached with lye; or grits, which are simply coarsely ground corn. These are commonly eaten in U.S. Southern States, foods handed down from Native Americans. Another common food made from maize is corn flakes. The flour of maize (cornflour or masa) is used to make cornbread and Mexican tortillas. Teosinte is used as fodder, and can also be popped as popcorn.

Related Topics:
Hominy - Lye - Grits - U.S. Southern States - Native Americans - Corn flakes - Flour - Cornflour - Masa - Cornbread - Tortilla - Fodder

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As a food, maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) is used in various forms, with several major Cultivar Groups. The most important Cultivar Groups are:

Related Topics:
Food - Cultivar Groups

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• Flour corn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays Amylacea Group
• Popcorn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays Everta Group
• Dent corn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays Indentata Group
• Flint corn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays Indurata Group
• Sweetcorn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays Saccharata Group
• Pod corn - Zea mays L. var. tunicata Larrañaga ex A. St. Hil

Many scientists speculate that fuel ethanol will mostly be produced from switchgrass and other biomass sources in the future. Corn cobs are also used as a biomass fuel source. Maize is relatively cheap and home heating furnaces have been developed which uses maize kernels as a fuel. They feature a large hopper which feeds the uniformly sized corn kernels (or wood pellets or cherry pits) into the fire.

Related Topics:
Switchgrass - Biomass - Cherry

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Some forms of the plant are occasionally grown for ornamental use in the garden. For this purpose, variegated and coloured leaf forms, as well as those with colourful cobs are used.

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Corncobs can be hollowed out and treated to make inexpensive smoking pipes, first manufactured in the United States in 1869.

Related Topics:
Smoking pipe - 1869

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In 1983, Barbara McClintock received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of transposons while studying maize. Maize is still an imporant model organism for genetics and developmental biology today.

Related Topics:
1983 - Barbara McClintock - Nobel Prize - Medicine - Transposon - Model organism - Genetics - Developmental biology

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In 2005, research by the USDA Forest Service indicated that the rise in maize cultivation 500 to 1,000 years ago in the southeastern United States contributed to the decline of freshwater mussels, which are very sensitive to environmental changes. http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/about/newsrelease/nr_2005-06-06-mussels.htm

Related Topics:
2005 - USDA - Forest Service - Mussel

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