Last time, I discussed some of the different types of corn we consume. Part two will give a simple overview of the products made with corn grown right here in the United States of America.
We already know that popcorn and sweet corn is only grown for direct human consumption. You’ll find popcorn in a few different forms at the grocery store: pre-packaged microwavable, on the ear, and loose kernels for stove top popping. Sweet corn can be found in the fresh produce section this time of year, as canned corn, and as frozen corn.
But what about all of that corn growing in the fields along the interstate? As I said before, the majority of corn grown in the United States is field corn. It’s what farmers harvest in the fall and is the type of corn fed to livestock and used to make corn-based ethanol. Oh- did you know we eat it, too?
Here is a graphic I found on the National Corn Growers Association website in the 2013 “World of Corn” publication.
Before we do anything with field corn, it must be processed. Some farmers will keep it and feed it to livestock in whole kernel form, but most corn farmers sell it on the Chicago Board of Trade. An agricultural processing company then buys it and processes the corn into oil, starch, and protein. In this graphic published by the National Corn Growers Association, you can see that corn is 3.8% oil, 62% starch, 19.2% protein and fiber, and 15% moisture.
The three main products are then used to make things like sweeteners, cooking oil, cereal, corn chips, shampoo, candles, printing ink, fireworks, chewing gum, and can even be found in pharmaceutical products! It’s pretty cool that corn is such as versatile ingredient and can be used to make so many things.
Corn is also used to replace petroleum in products. Plastics, rubber, and gasoline are a few examples of petroleum-based products that can be replaced with corn grown right here in the good ol’ U. S. of A., rather than being imported. Plastics made with corn are also biodegradable, which means that they will break down into small particles and become part of the soil after you throw them away. Petroleum-based plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose. In the meantime, it just adds to our landfills, while biodegradable plastic will disappear somewhere between a few months and a few years, depending on environmental conditions.
Here is a pretty neat experiment about how biodegradable plastic that I enjoyed doing at our local Children’s Discovery Museum growing up. Whether you’re doing this with your kids or you are a kid at heart, enjoy!
Make Your Own Biodegradable Plastic
1. Place 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a plastic Ziploc baggie.
2. Add 2 drops of corn oil.
3. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and seal the bag.
4. Mix the ingredients using your fingers to “massage” the bag.
5. Add 2 drops of food coloring and mix well. DO NOT completely seal the bag.
6. Place the bag in the microwave for 20-25 seconds on high. Be careful taking it out, as it will be hot.
Record your scientific observations:
- What happened to your plastic in the microwave?
- Form your plastic into a ball while it is still warm and describe what it does.
- What do you notice about your biodegradable plastic?
- What could you make with your biodegradable plastic if you let it harden?
- Compare your biodegradable plastic with the plastic baggie you made it in.
**Find this and lots of other ag activities on the Illinois Ag in the Classroom website!
So what all can be made from one bushel of corn? Well, one bushel of corn will make…..
One of these:
- 31.5 lbs starch
- 33 lbs sweetener
- 2.8 gallons of ethanol
- 22.4 lbs fiber
Plus all of these:
- 17.5 lbs distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)– [this is an animal feed and we’ll discuss this more in part three]
- 13.5 lbs gluten feed
- 2.6 lbs gluten meal
- 1.5 lbs corn oil
And all of this is from ONE bushel! The national average has been about 160 bushels per acre over the last several years. American farmers harvested 10.8 billion bushels in 2012.
Finally, here is a graphic (also from the National Corn Growers Association) that shows how the 10.8 billion bushels of corn harvested in the U.S. last year was used (click graphic to enlarge):
I found this graphic in a National Corn Growers Association “Fast Facts” publication from June 2013
As I said, a simple overview of products made from corn. If you’d like to find more information, check out the National Corn Growers Association website, the Illinois Corn Growers Association website, or your own state Corn Growers Association.
Like what you’ve read so far? Look for part three, which will discuss renewable fuels and corn-based ethanol. The fourth and final post will be addressing common misconceptions about the corn industry. Comment or tweet me if you have any corn questions that you’re just dying to have answered. 🙂
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