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Sep 20, 2011

<b>Maize</b> <br>Maize (Zea mays L.) is a cereal crop, a member of the grass family. Maize is grown around the world and is one of the world’s most widely used food staples.

Maize
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a cereal crop, a member of the grass family. Maize is grown around the world and is one of the world’s most widely used food staples.

Maize varieties are directly used for food and animal feed or processed to make food and feed ingredients or industrial products such as ethanol and polylactic acid. The two primary methods of processing maize are referred to as “dry” and “wet” milling.

There are more than 3,500 different uses for maize products. Maize does much more than feed people and livestock! It is processed and used in such things as baby food, chewing gum, dessert icing, fireworks, ethanol fuel, peanut butter, antibiotics, potato chips, soap, paint, and rust preventatives. It is also used in vitamins, the manufacturing of photographic film and in the production of plastics.

Did you know maize has an incredibly long shelf life? Archeologists have been able to pop 1,000-year-old popcorn!

Here is some folklore about maize: The Indian word maiz means “sacred mother” or “giver over life.” Some ancient tribes believed that maize is afraid to be cooked so a woman must warm it first with her breath. Maize meal was also sprinkled across the doorway to keep enemies out.

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