The Facts About Corn:
A 5,600 Year History as a Food Source

For over 5,600 years corn has been cultivated and has served as a major food source for many different civilizations the world over. In the 21st century corn continues to be grown in countries across the globe. The largest corn producer in the world is the United States, with a 35% share. Other major modern day corn producers are Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, Romania and a number of different countries on the African continent.

Corn actually is a member of the grass family. Corn does differ from all other types of grass in that it cannot successfully survive in a wild setting. In other words, corn must be cultivated. Corn has to be planted in rows so that cross pollination can occur.

There is a variety of corn now being grown by farmers. The major types of corn include dent, flint, flour or soft, waxy and popcorn. The most common type of corn grown in the United States is dent corn. Dent corn gets its moniker from the pronounced indentation that can be found at the crown of each kernel. This corn is oftentimes used as feed for domesticated animals, including cattle and hogs.

Flint corn lacks the depressed area -- the dent -- that is common in so-called dent corn. In all other ways, flint and dent corn are very similar. Flour or soft corn contains very little hard starch, which predominates in both dent and flint corn. This type of corn is not grown commercially on a broad scale.

Waxy corn is grown primarily for industrial purposes. This type of corn is a mainstay in alternative energy sources now in the process of being developed in different countries around the globe.

Popcorn contains a very high proportion of hard starch. The moisture contained in this type of corn expands very quickly when heated, causing an explosion of the epidermis and starches in the kernel.

There are some unusual and not widely grown types of corn, including such lines as pod corn. This type of corn has kernels that are sheathed in individual pods, in addition to the husk that covers the entire year.

A significant portion of all of the corn grown in the United States is used to feed livestock, an amount of approximately 75%. 10% of the corn cultivated in the United States is exported to other countries around the world. Approximately 15% of the corn grown in the United States is processed for use as starch, syrup, oil, sugar, gluten meal and alcohol. In addition, corn is processed into products such as breakfast cereals, including corn flakes, hominy and grits.

Most agricultural experts and analysts in the energy field maintain that corn will become an ever more important commodity as more and more research is being undertaken into the development of alternative energy resources. Corn is likely to continue to play an ever increasing role in alternative fuels that will be utilized to power everything from automobiles to industrial equipment.