The Zea Mays

Zea Mays is a scientific name of a crop we known as corn. It is a cereal crop

and a member of a grass family that was discovered on Cuba by men of Christopher
Columbus in year 1492. It was exported to Spain and later, spread to different
countries. The word “corn” gained a lot of meaning for different places; it means
the wheat in England, oats in Scotland and Ireland. It was also appears in the bible
referring to it as wheat or barley. Corn can either be dent corn, flint corn, flour corn,
popcorn, sweet corn, waxy corn, and pod corn as its classifications. Corn contains
nutrients that are really essential to our body. Some of these nutrients are; Vitamin
C which enhances our immune system, Folate helps our body to generate new cells
that is really important in pregnancy and Vitamin B5 used in metabolism of
carbohydrates. It is also a good source of fiber which helps to reduces cholesterol
levels, decreases the risks of colon cancer and also useful for the diabetics to lower
the level of their blood sugar.

There are lots of corn uses and products. Of course it is a food for humans, as
well as for livestock and poultry. In fact some uses it as their daily food just like
rice. It is also a source of ethanol which is use as a fuel. Another one is the starch
that is widely used in industrial and food applications. Corn can also be used as a
sweetener through processing it with enzymes or acids. In past years, corn has also
replaced sugar in some processed food and soft drinks, but some claims that High
Fructose Corn Syrup, a kind of sweetener, contributes to obesity. Bio products such
as degradable plastics are another product made from corn. Aside from the
mentioned uses of corn, it is also essential for some major study of plants. It is used
in researches and experiments in fields of Biochemistry, Physiology, Genetics and
Soil Fertility. According to some researches, there are hundreds of uses and
products that the corn has aside from these examples. These uses prove that corn
was not just an ordinary kind of plant, it is very essential for our daily lives. There
many countries in present that produces corn. For sure, there are lots of future
discoveries that will show more important uses of this crop.