|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

10 Types of Food Products That Use Corn

Corn is America's number one field crop. The United States is the world's largest producer of corn. The domestic corn crop is the base ingredient for many food items, including snacks and cereals. Kernels of corn provide the raw material for a number of food products such as additives and sweeteners.

  1. Corn Syrup

    • Corn syrup, or glucose syrup, is a food syrup manufactured from processed corn starch. It is composed primarily of dissolved glucose sugar, also called dextrose. Maltose and oligosaccharide, a complex type of vegetable sugar, are other ingredients. Corn syrup is used to soften food and inhibit sugar crystallization. High-fructose corn syrup is made sweeter by enzymatic conversion of glucose into fructose. It's used as a sweetener in a wide range of processed foods and soft drinks. Golden syrup, or treacle, is a mix of corn syrup and molasses.

    Corn Starch

    • Corn starch is a white, powdery food product added to foods as a thickening agent. It is made from the endosperm, or embryonic seed part, of the corn kernel. Corn starch's molecular structure allows it to bond with other starches, resulting in thicker gravies, soups and sauces. Baking powder is made by combining chemical leavening agents with a corn starch base. The powder causes batter to rise when baked, for lighter, fluffier cakes and muffins.

    Sugars

    • Caramel is a brown colored confection made by heating sugar derived from corn or sugar cane. Heat changes the molecular structure of sugars, causing them to form isomers and polymers, or long chains of molecules. Corn syrup is added to caramel to keep it soft and prevent its sugars from forming crystals. Caramel is a major ingredient in candies and desserts. Completely caramelized sugar is concentrated and made into caramel coloring, a dark brown, liquid food-coloring product.

    Ground Corn

    • Corn is finely milled into corn flour as a baking product. The flour is a prime ingredient in baked food staples such as bread and cakes. It's popular in the South, Southwestern United States and Mexico. Yellow cornmeal is coarsely ground corn kernels minus the husk and germ parts. Stone-ground cornmeal contains more hull and germ components. Cornmeal bleached with lye is used for tortillas and tamales in Mexican cuisine. Blue cornmeal and atole flour are used in traditional Mexican and Native American cooking.

Nutrition - Related Articles