We study the structure of corn from A to Z: what parts does the vegetable consist of and where is each part used?

Corn is a well-known and widespread plant cultivated by humans. In the food industry it is valued for its excellent taste, in medicine for its rich chemical composition, and in private gardens for the original appearance of some ornamental varieties. In this article we will tell you more about its features and methods of use.

The structure of corn

Although corn is a genus of plants in the Poa family, including 6 species, only one of them is cultivated - sweet corn, or maize. The structure of the cereal differs from its “relatives”: it is much taller, the stem inside is non-hollow and does not look like the usual “straw”.

Plant

Corn is a tall herbaceous plant with long leaves., a powerful fibrous root system that penetrates the ground to a depth of 1–1.5 m. Additional small and aerial roots are placed on the stem above the surface of the earth and have a dual function: they protect the plant from falling and provide it with additional nutrition.

The height of a non-hollow stem is usually 2-3 m, sometimes reaches 4 m, girth - up to 7 cm.

Large leaves grow up to 1 m in length and up to 10 cm in width. The edges of the leaves are sharp: careless handling will lead to long and deep cuts on the body.

At the top of the stem there is a male flower - a panicle. The female one, the cob, is located in the axils of the leaves and has a dense leaf wrapper.

1-2 ears are usually formed on the stem, but some varieties have more than three.

cob

cob has an elongated shape, its length is 4–50 cm, diameter is 2–10 cm, weight is 30–500 g.

In the middle there is a hard thick fleshy rod, popularly called a “stalk”, on which grains pressed against each other are placed in dense straight rows. The cob is wrapped in soft leaves, from which a long tuft of stigmas emerges.

Seeds

Corn seeds - grains - are quite large in size, round or cubic in shape, usually bright yellow, but there are red, blue, purple and even black shades.

The number of grains in each cob is 500–1000.

The shape of the grains depends on the plant variety: Some look like a tooth, others look like a ball.

Interesting. There are seeds whose flattened top gives them the shape of an almost regular cube.

Description and characteristics

In addition to sweet corn, the genus includes 4 species and 3 wild subspecies of cereals.

General information

Sweet corn - tall annual herbaceous cultivated plant.

The ripening period of the cereal depends on the variety and ranges from 90 to 150 days, with seedlings sprouting already at 10–12 days.

This is a heat-loving crop, the optimal temperature for growth and development of which is +20...+24°C. Seedlings can withstand temperatures down to -3°C, and adult plants die even with minor frosts.

A little history

It is believed that corn appeared about 7-12 thousand years ago in Mexico as a result of selection one of the subspecies of wild grass. There is evidence that more than 5 thousand years ago, American Indians already knew how to make popcorn. To do this, they heated the grains in hot sand near a fire, and when they heated up, burst and flew out, the Indians caught them and ate them.

Corn was brought to Europe by the expedition of Christopher Columbus and was used as an ornamental plant for a long time.

The so-called “Turkish wheat” came to Russia during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768–1774, and almost immediately began to be used as a food and feed crop.

By the way. The leadership in cereal cultivation is held by the USA, Brazil and China. Significant quantities of corn are produced in Mexico, Argentina, India, South Africa, France and Russia.

Varieties

There are 10 subspecies of corn (Zea mays):

• sugar (saccharata) - the most common, mainly used in the food industry: boiled or canned;
• siliceous (imdurata) - early ripening and productive, used for the production of corn delicacies: flakes, sticks, used for grain;
• tooth-like (indentata) - late-ripening, productive, used in the production of flour, cereals and alcohol, widely used as feed;
• semidentate (semidentata) - the result of crossing the siliceous and dentate subspecies, is widely used in the food industry;
• bursting (everta) - especially popular in the USA, mainly used to make popcorn;
• starchy, or mealy (amylacea) - cultivated in the USA, where it is processed on an industrial scale to produce flour, starch, alcohol and molasses;
• waxy (ceratina) - popular in China, has a limited area of ​​cultivation and use;
• starchy-sugar (amyleosaccharata) - is not of industrial interest, since it consists mainly of a mealy storage substance;
• membranous (tunicata) - has no nutritional value, is not widespread;
• Japanese variegated (japonica) - has colorful, showy leaves, so it is mainly used as an ornamental plant.

Gene modifications

Corn is widely used in various industries, therefore already in the 30s of the last century in the USA they began to carry out work on plant hybridization. A significant increase in cereal yields was caused by the use of chemical pesticides, inorganic fertilizers and increased mechanization of cultivation.

Since the end of the last century, transgenic varieties have been introduced with high resistance to pests and plant diseases.

Important! At least 85% of the corn grown in the United States since the mid-2000s is genetically modified varieties.

Application

The use of corn is not limited to just the food industry - cereal is used in medicine, chemical production, creating souvenirs and hand-made products.

In cooking

Here use only cereal grains: other parts of the plant have no special nutritional value.

Tasty, healthy and easy to prepare boiled corn. To do this, fresh cobs are cleared of leaves and boiled. For long-term storage product freeze.

Corn flour of different grinds is used for cooking porridge, pancakes, cheesecakes, puddings, sweets, it is added to cakes, cookies and bread to give them taste and crumbliness.

Canned the cereal serves as an excellent basis for salads, soups, side dishes. The oil is used as an additive to cold and hot dishes and as a base for sauces. Corn flakes and sticks are healthy breakfasts and one of the favorite treats for children and adults.

Cereal is included in the national dishes of many countries:

• Argentina: locro (meat soup with corn), humita (curd and corn dish), tamales (meat and vegetables boiled in corn leaves);
• USA: popcorn, corn dog (sausage in corn dough);
• Mexico: corn tortilla, chicha beer (brewed from sprouted grains);
• China: pampushki (cakes made from corn flour and sugar).

Plant widely used in the starch, brewing and alcohol industries.

In traditional and folk medicine

Corn is a medicinal plant, its grains, stigmas and leaves are used in medicine.

Properties of cereal:

• increases immunity;
• removes toxins and waste;
• reduces cholesterol;
• improves the condition of teeth;
• prevents the development of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases and cancer;
• has a beneficial effect on brain function;
• improves visual acuity due to carotenoids contained in yellow grains of milky ripeness.

The plant is used as a dietary food for such diseases:

• hypertension and swelling;
• atherosclerosis;
• gastrointestinal ulcer;
• diabetes.

Grains

The grains contain a large number of components important for humans:

• minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus;
• essential amino acids: lysine and tryptophan;
• vitamins E, PP, C, A, group B;
• fatty oils (up to 5%).

The germ of the grain, which occupies almost a third of it, contains 35% fatty oils.

Stigma

Corn silk contains:

• vitamins K, C, B5;
• saponins (up to 3%);
• stigmasterol and sitosterol;
• tannins;
• fatty oils (2.5%);
• essential oil (0.12%).

Extracts and tinctures from stigmas are used for:

• glaucoma;
• urolithiasis;
• inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary tract;
• inflammation of the bile ducts;
• cystitis;
• hepatitis;
• prostate adenoma.

Leaves

The leaves of the plant are rich:

• esters of phenolcarboxylic acids;
• flavonoids;
• quercetin;
• routine.

Oil

Oil is pressed from the embryos of ripe seeds and promotes:

• normalization of metabolism;
• improving the functioning of the biliary tract;
• prevention of vascular diseases;
• reducing and normalizing cholesterol levels;
• treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Contraindications

Both the cereal itself and any preparations made from it contraindicated for people who have:

• high level of blood clotting;
• stomach ulcers, intestinal pathologies;
• tendency to thrombophlebitis.

Grains and products made from them are high in calories and not very suitable for weight loss. It is important to use corn treats - snacks, sticks, flakes - with caution, since during their production almost all useful substances are lost.

Other uses

Corn is used to produce ethyl alcohol, which is added not only to alcohol, but also to fuel, solvents, and disinfectants.

Cereal grown for silage, the stems are used to build huts and fences. Dry stalks are used to make stoppers for vessels, bottles, and smoking pipes.

Soft leaves enveloping the cobs are used for hand-making balls.. Corn waste is important for the production of paper, linoleum, fabrics, and insulating materials.

Conclusion

Corn is both the basis of many dishes and a medicinal plant. The grass is unpretentious: warm weather and bright sun are enough for its development.This is a waste-free plant: each of its parts - the cob, sprouts and others - is used either for food or as a material for the production of goods on an industrial scale or for individual use.