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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #219425
Title: Wet-milling characteristics of ten lines from the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project compared to five Corn Belt lines

Author
item TABOADA-GAYTAN, OSWALDO - ISU
item Pollak, Linda
item JOHNSON, LAWRENCE - ISU
item FOX, STEVEN - ISU

Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2009
Publication Date: 3/2/2009
Citation: Taboada-Gaytan, O., Pollak, L.M., Johnson, L., Fox, S. 2009. Wet-milling Characteristics of Ten Lines from the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project Compared to Five Corn Belt Lines. Cereal Chemistry. 86:204-209

Interpretive Summary: Because of widespread participation of the corn seed industry in the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) program, it is important to know whether using lines with exotic germplasm from GEM would adversely affect wet-milling quality of Corn Belt lines when used in a breeding program, so superior starch extractability of Corn Belt hybrids can be maintained. The objective was to compare the milling characteristics of 10 GEM lines with five adapted Corn Belt lines. We found that two GEM lines actually had similar or better starch yield and starch recovery after wet milling by using a laboratory scale milling procedure. This result shows that certain GEM lines with appropriate milling traits, may potentially be used in breeding and maintain or even improve the milling characteristics of productive, high starch hybrids. The starch yield of the GEM lines correlated well with the percentage of starch in the kernel, and was negatively correlated with the percentage of protein in the kernel. This means that easy-to-use Near-Infrared Transmittance technology may be useful for initial screening of GEM lines with appropriate milling characteristics. This information will be useful to the many private and public GEM cooperators who are using GEM lines in their breeding projects to develop germplasm that is not only agronomically productive but has valuable traits for the processing industry.

Technical Abstract: Use of corn (Zea mays L.) by the processing industry has steadily increased and adapted Corn Belt hybrids with high grain yield and higher starch content and extractability are available to growers. In light of widespread participation of the corn seed industry in the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project (GEM), which seeks to enhance exotic germplasm, newer hybrids may have a greater exotic genetic background. It is necessary to determine and monitor physical, compositional, and milling characteristics of the new exotic breeding materials to maintain the processing value of new inbred lines and hybrids that utilize exotic germplasm. The present study was conducted to determine whether GEM lines have appropriate wet-milling characteristics compared to typical Corn Belt lines. Ten GEM lines introgressed with exotic materials from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Cuba and Florida and with different starch content yields, three commercial inbred lines and two public inbred lines (B73 and Mo17) were analyzed using both Near-Infrared Transmitance (NIT) and a 100-g wet-milling procedure. Statistical differences (P<0.05) were found for yield of the wet-milled fractions (starch, fiber, gluten, and germ). The GEM lines AR227 and CU562 had similar or better starch yield and starch recovery than B73 and the other adapted inbred lines, which indicates that these lines can potentially be used to improve the proportion of extractable starch present in the kernels of their hybrids. Residual protein levels in the starch and gluten fractions were in the range of 0.26-0.32% and 38-45%, respectively. The starch yield of exotic corn lines from wet milling correlated positively with starch content and was negatively correlated with protein content of the corn kernels. Oil content in the germ varied from 50 to 60%. Our results indicate that incorporating GEM lines in a breeding program will maintain or even improve the wet-milling characteristics of Corn Belt materials if lines with appropriate traits are used.