Sweet Corn

Sweet corn is a special maize variety in which its tender, delicious kernels eaten as a vegetable. In contrast to traditional field corn, sugar corn varieties are harvested when their corn-ear just reached milk stage, and used sooner since its sugars tend to quickly convert into starch. Corn is native to central american region, which later introduced to the rest of the world by spanish explorers. Genetically, it differs from the field corn by mutation at the sugary (su) locus. Its crop has achieved a major success as one of the important commercial cash crops in many tropical and semi-tropical countries.

Corn grows to about 7-10 feet in height. It grows quickly under sunny, fertile, and well-drained soil, supplemented with good moisture conditions. Each plant bears about 2-6, long husked "ears" filled with rows of tooth like seeds enveloping around a central woody core (cob). Optimum pollination is essential for full kernel development. Several different sweet corn cultivars with many variations in their sweetness, color, and maturationaare grown according to the local and regional requirements. Depending upon the cultivar type, its crop can be ready for harvesting in 65-90 days.

Harvest sweet corn when the silk end of the ear is completely filled out, the silk has turned brown and its kernels are firm but in the milk stage. Oftentimes, farmers check the kernels by pricking them with the thumbnail in order to ascertain timing of harvest. Baby corns are very young, miniature ears harvested when their kernels are still at incipient stage. The centralcore is sweet and tender enough to be eaten raw. Baby corns measure about 3-5 inches in length and weighs about 20-50 g each.

At 86 calories per 100 g, sugar corn kernels are moderately high in calories on comparison to other vegetables. However, fresh sweet corn has much less calories than that of in the field corn and other cereals like wheat, rice, etc. Their calorie mainly comes from simpler carbohydrates like glucose, sucrose than complex sugars like amylose and amylopectin, which is a case in the cereals.

Sweet corn is gluten-free cereal and may be used safely in celiac disease individuals much like rice, quinoa, etc.

Sugar corn features high-quality phyto-nutrition profile comprising of dietary fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants in addition to moderate proportions of minerals. It is one of the finest source of dietary fibers, 100 g kernels carry 2 g or 5% of daily-requirement of dietary-fiber. Together with slow digesting complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber in the food help regulate in gradual increase in blood sugar levels. However, corn, in line with rice, potato, etc., is one of high glycemic index food items, limiting its role as the chief food ingredient in diabetes patients.

Yellow variety corn has significant levels of phenolic flavonoid pigment antioxidants such as b-carotenes, and lutein, xanthins and cryptoxanthinapigments along with vitamin a. 100 g fresh kernels provide 187 iu or 6% of daily-requirement of vitamin-a. Altogether; these compounds are required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes, skin and vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in flavonoids help protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Corn is a good source of phenolic flavonoid antioxidant, ferulic acid. Several research studies suggest that ferulic acid plays vital role in preventing cancers, aging, and inflammation in humans.

It also contains good levels of some of the valuable b-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folates, riboflavin, and pyridoxine. Many of these vitamins function as co-factors to enzymes during substrate metabolism.

Further, it contains healthy amounts of some important minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese.