Maize

Maize, a member of the grass family is a grain and one of the important foods, green forage and industrial crops of the world. Together with rice and wheat, maize provides at least 30% of the food calories of more than 4.5 billion people in 94 countries.

It is known as ‘Queen of Cereal’. The grains are rich in vitamins A, C and E, carbohydrates, and essential minerals, and contain 9% protein.

They are also rich in dietary fiber and calories which are a good source of energy.

Maize has a composition of several colored pigments collectively known as carotenoids which are converted to vitamin A by normal metabolic processes in the body.

Vitamin A is very important to human health, but most especially for vision, and as an antioxidant. Therefore maize can be especially important to people who cannot get fresh vegetables year-round.

The term “maize” is derived from the ancient word ‘mahiz’ from the Taino language of the indigenous people of pre-Columbian America. Columbus and other explorers took maize back to Europe with them and it spread across the trade routes of Europe, Africa and Asia in the 1500s and 1600s.