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Research Project: Adaptation of Grain Crops to Varying Environments Including Climates, Stressors, and Human Uses

Location: Plant Genetics Research

Title: Phytochemical characterization of eighteen colored corn varieties and coproducts from the 2022 season of the Missouri colored corn adaptation program

Author
item ALI, AHMAD - University Of Missouri
item SALAZAR-VIDAL, MIRIAM NANCY - University Of Missouri
item Flint Garcia, Sherry
item KUMAR, RAVINDER - University Of Missouri
item LIN, MENGSHI - University Of Missouri
item WAN, CAIXIA - University Of Missouri
item SOMAVAT, PAVEL - University Of Missouri

Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2025
Publication Date: 5/1/2025
Citation: Ali, A., Salazar-Vidal, M., Flint Garcia, S.A., Kumar, R., Lin, M., Wan, C., Somavat, P. 2025. Phytochemical characterization of eighteen colored corn varieties and coproducts from the 2022 season of the Missouri colored corn adaptation program. Industrial Crops and Products. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.120772.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.120772

Interpretive Summary: Corn is a major grain crop in the United States, used primarily as animal feed and for ethanol production. One way to add value to the corn crop is to add value to byproducts from the ethanol dry milling process. The outside layer of the kernel, called the pericarp, is removed in the first step of dry milling and can be rich in bioactive compounds that can used as natural food colorants and health supplements. While the pericarp is usually clear in the yellow dent commodity corn, there is variation in pericarp color in heirloom corn varieties from around the world. Unfortunately, most of these heirloom varieties are low yielding and are not adapted to the Midwest. We have initiated a breeding program to cross the genes controlling pericarp pigments into U.S. adapted varieties, with the ultimate goal of producing high yielding pigmented corn varieties. In this study, we evaluated 18 varieties of colored corn for milling characteristics and quantified bioactive compounds, including anthocyanins, tannins, flavonoids, and phenolics. Several of the varieties had anthocyanin values close to the research standard, “maize morado” from Peru. Seven varieties were chosen for in-depth analysis of specific compounds in these chemical families. We found that some varieties had very unique phytochemical profiles. Overall, this study demonstrates that the first phases of the breeding program evaluated in this study show great promise for developing pigmented varieties adapted to the U.S. These results will be used to develop pigmented corn varieties with increased value for U.S. farmers, processors, and consumers.

Technical Abstract: Colored corn varieties have been widely acknowledged for their relatively higher phytochemical contents entailing potential value-added applications. In this study, a continuation of the Missouri colored corn adaption program, eighteen colored corn varieties from the 2022 season were analyzed for dry milling characteristics and phytochemical contents using metabolomic, HPLC and spectrophotometric techniques. The mean pericarp yield for the varieties from 2022 was higher at 7.96'% (dry basis, db) compared to 4.65'% (db) for the varieties from 2020 and 2021. Six selected varieties were identified and further analyzed. The highest concentrations of total anthocyanins (TAC), phenolics (TPC), total flavonoids (TFC) and condensed tannins (CT) detected were 28.8'g cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G)/kg, 53.1'g gallic acid (GA)/kg, 155.7'g epicatechin (EE)/kg and 13.7'g catechin (CT)/kg of pericarp, respectively. Overall, the mean of TAC, TPC, CT contents for the best five varieties from 2022 was greater at 20.6'g, 45.4'g, 138.2'g compared to 14.5'g of C3G, 27.7'g of GA, and 130.9'g of EE equivalent per kg of pericarp for the varieties from 2020 and 2021, respectively. Metabolomic analysis identified 43 distinct phytochemicals. Antioxidant potential was evaluated using four different assays, the mean antioxidant activities for the best five varieties from 2022 were higher. Histological analysis revealed the concentration of phytochemicals in pericarp, whose thickness ranged between 129.2 and 182.3'µm. The varieties from 2022 showed greater pericarp yield, higher concentrations of phytochemicals, and greater antioxidant potential compared to the previous year’s varieties, implying successful progression of the program.