First, the main value of corn
1, nutritional value
The vitamin content in corn is very high, which is 5- 10 times that of rice and wheat. Among all staple foods, corn has the highest nutritional value and health care function. High-nutrient substances such as riboflavin contained in corn are very beneficial to human body.
It is worth noting that the nutritional value of special corn is higher than that of ordinary corn, and the nutritional components such as water, active substances and vitamins of fresh corn are also much higher than those of old corn.
2. Medicinal value
According to Compendium of Materia Medica, corn cultivated in the west is sweet and nontoxic, which can stimulate appetite. The pollen and germ of corn also contain a lot of vitamin E and corn flavonoids. Regular consumption of corn products can delay human aging and enhance human physical strength and endurance. Corn syrup can prevent gingival bleeding and has an auxiliary effect on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Applying corn modified starch to human burn can leave no scar on the affected area. Corn starch is also a good medium for producing penicillin. Sorbitol paste made from oxidized corn glucose can be used to prepare ascorbic acid tablets. Corn also has the function of beauty and slimming. Compared with soybean and wheat, corn has lower fat and protein content and higher carbohydrate content, so corn products are increasingly favored by people who want to keep fit and lose weight.
2. The physical properties of corn are composed of grain color, grain shape, seed coat luster, grain length, grain width, 100-grain weight, grain size, grain uniformity and hard seed rate. The colors of corn seeds include seed coat, aleurone layer (rich in protein, also known as protein layer) and endosperm. In most cases, the endosperm color of mature corn seeds is yellow or white, and the seed coat and aleurone layer are colorless and transparent. According to the different colors of corn seeds, corn can be divided into three types: yellow corn, white corn and mixed corn. According to the different shapes, hardness and uses of corn, corn can be divided into ordinary corn (hard grain type, intermediate type, horse tooth type, hard horse type and hard horse type) and special corn (high lysine corn, high oil corn, sweet corn, popcorn and waxy corn). The shape and size of corn vary from variety to variety. Generally, corn is 8- 12mm long, 7- 10mm wide and 3-7mm thick. If the difference between corn particles is too large, it will make it difficult to clean and break corn during processing.