Types of Corn
Along with wheat and rice , corn is one of the world ’ s major grain crops . First domesticated in Mexico , corn is now grown on every continent of the world except Antarctica . It is the largest grain crop grown in the United States today , and the United States is the largest producer of corn in the world . Corn is in the grass family and the scientific name for corn is Zea mays . All types of corn belong to this species , including dent ( field ) corn , sweet corn , popcorn , flour corn , and flint corn .
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Dent corn : The most abundant type of corn grown in the United States is actually dent corn , also called field corn . Almost all the corn you see in fields is dent corn . Unlike sweet corn , dent corn has a hard outer portion about the thickness of your fingernail . The inner portion of the corn kernel is soft and floury . It is referred to as dent corn because of the indentations or “ dents ” on the top of each kernel .
Sweet corn : Sweet corn is the kind of corn you buy at the grocery store to eat . You can eat it off the ear as corn-on-the-cob . You can also buy it in cans or in the frozen food aisle . Fresh sweet corn is found most often during the summer and is extra sweet because it contains more natural sugars than other types of corn . We grow excellent sweet corn in Colorado . But , less than 1 percent of corn grown in the U . S . is sweet corn .
Popcorn : The composition of the kernel distinguishes popcorn from other varieties . Corn in general is made of starch , protein , fat , and water . Water is stored in a small circle of soft starch in each kernel . As the popcorn kernel is heated , the water heats , builds up pressure , and takes up any available room until the outer surface gives way and the kernel explodes into the fluffy white snack we all love . There are some farmers in Colorado that do grow popcorn , although it represents very little of all of the corn grown .
Flour corn : Flour corn is used in baked goods because it has a soft , starch-filled , kernel that is easy to grind . Flour corn is primarily white , although it can be grown in other colors , for example , blue corn . One of the oldest types of corn , flour corn was a chief type grown by Native Americans .
Flint corn : Flint corn , also known as Indian corn , is used for similar purposes as dent corn . Flint corn is distinguished by a hard outer shell and kernels with a range of colors from white to red . Today , most flint corn is grown in Central and South America .
Investigate : Using the descriptions and photos above , label each photo with the correct name of each type of corn seed . Then , looking at the photos , describe some the differences ( color , size , shape , etc .) you notice using complete sentences .
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