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An Overview On Role of Yellow Maize in Food, Feed and Nutrition Security
An Overview On Role of Yellow Maize in Food, Feed and Nutrition Security
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1
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
2
ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012, India
*Corresponding author:
ABSTRACT
Maize, Zea mays L., is one of the important cereal crops with diverse uses as food, feed,
fodder and industrial applications. As a food crop it is a primary source of nourishment to
people in Africa, Latin America and South Asia. It is also the principal energy source used
Keywords in poultry diets in most of the countries including India because of its high-energy value,
palatability, presence of pigments and essential fatty acids. Yellow kernelled cultivars are
Yellow maize, β- preferred as poultry feed as it is a rich source of β-carotenes and xanthophylls conferring
carotenes and yellow colour for colouration of egg yolk, poultry fat and skin. Maize also contains highest
Xanthophylls,
amount of energy among cereal grains and has high TDN of 85-90%. By virtue of these
Nutrition security
advantages, maize is known as nutri-cereal. It is however, deficient in two essential amino
Article Info acids namely lysine and tryptophan but with the discovery of opaque mutants, these
deficiencies were overcome through the breeding of opaque varieties which later paved
Accepted: way to the development of Quality Protein Maize (QPM). The nutritionally enriched QPM
22 January 2019
kernels contain double the quantity of lysine and tryptophan, balanced ratio of isoleucine
Available Online:
10 February 2019
to leucine and increased desirable proteins viz. albumins, glutelins and globulins in their
endosperm. With its development, new vistas were opened up for achieving food and
nutrition security of the under-privileged masses. In this mini-review, role of yellow maize
in general and QPM in particular in augmenting food, feed and nutrition security
especially in Indian context is discussed.
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particularly in last 1-2 decades (Kumar et al., poultry fat and skin when it is used at 30%
2013). As per latest FAO estimates, the crop and above in the diet. Because of these
occupied an area of 9.22 mha producing 28.72 reasons, maize augments booming poultry
mt with an average productivity of 3.11 industry and feed nutrition security. The
tons/ha in 2017 (FAO, 2019).Based on the kernel texture in maize is represented by flint
prediction by International Food Policy (F), semi-flint (SF), dent (D) and semi-dent
Research Institute (IFPRI), maize demand is (SD), respectively. Flints or SFs are known
expected to overtake that of wheat and rice by for their suitability for use in livestock feed
2020 and that a large proportion of the and possess added advantage of storing well
increased demand, 72%, will come from under harsh growing conditions. Bedsides
developing countries. Within developing higher grain yield, D and SDs have soft starch
countries the highest proportion of maize will and hence are amenable to industrial
be used for food in countries of Sub Saharan processing as well (Gwirtz and Garcia-Casal,
Africa (76%) and South Asia (70%).Whereas 2014).
East Asian countries would be using highest
proportion, 82%, as feed and 14% for Maize kernel composition and anatomy
industrial uses, respectively (IPFRI, 2002;
FAO, 2009). In order to meet the increasing In general, maize kernel is a good source of
demand, emphasis is being laid on developing carbohydrates, fats, proteins and some of the
and disseminating high yielding cultivars with important vitamins and minerals. Especially
resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Being the macro-and micro-nutrients in maize kernel
highly cross –pollinated, maize offers the contribute significantly to its enhanced food
opportunity to exploit heterosis and hence and feed quality (Watson, 2003). Besides,
globally the breeding strategy emphasizes maize also contains highest amount of energy
evolving hybrids especially single cross (ME 3350 kcal/kg) among cereal grains.
hybrids (SCHs) suitable for different Therefore, maize is termed as nutricereal.The
production ecologies. status of macro-molecules in Indian maize
genotypes is given in Table 1. In general,
Maize utilization maize genotypes of Indian origin are known
to have ~ 67-72 % starch, 12-15 % moisture,
The diverse utilization of maize may be 8-12 % protein, 2-4% fat, 2-3% fibre and
ascribed to its kernel colour and texture. The around 1.5% minerals.
cultivars with yellow / yellow-orange/ orange
kernels (collectively known as yellow maize) The maize kernel is composed of four primary
are generally preferred as poultry feed and structures: endosperm, germ, pericarp, and tip
white as human food. Historically maize was cap, making up 83%, 11%, 5%, and 1% of the
used more for local consumption. Over the kernel, respectively. The endosperm is
last two- three decades, its direct food usage primarily composed of starch and is
is on the decline due to number of reasons surrounded by a protein matrix. Two main
including rising income levels and change in types of starch include hard or vitreous, and
food habits. Concurrently, the use of maize in soft or opaque. Former is negatively related to
poultry feed and industrial applications have starch degradability and in vivo starch
gone up. Yellow kernelled cultivars are digestibility in ruminants. The germ or
preferred as poultry feed as it is a rich source embryo of the maize kernel is high in fat
of β-carotenes and xanthophylls conferring (~33.3%) in addition to enzymes and nutrients
yellow colour for colouration of egg yolk, for growth and development of new maize
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plant. Nearly 80% of the kernel’s minerals are countries of the world. Asia as a whole has a
contained in the germ while the endosperm prevalence of undernourishment of 12.7 %
has <1%. Phosphorus (in the form of phytate), corresponding to 526 million people with
potassium, and magnesium are the three-most large differences across its sub- regions. India
prevalent minerals found providing nearly has made significant progress in improving
85% of kernel mineral content. The fourth food security of its masses. The green
most abundant element is sulfur, mostly revolution of 60’s helped the country in
present in an organic form as a constituent of achieving food security through improving
methionine and cystine. The germ also the availability and access components.
contains antioxidants such as vitamin E. However, the availability dimension
Pericarp is a high-fiber (~ 8.8% crude) semi- addressed the quantity, but not the quality of
permeable barrier surrounding the endosperm food i.e. nutrition. Even though there has been
and germ, covering all but the tip cap. The tip surplus of food grains at national level, yet
cap is the structure through which moisture addressing malnutrition i.e. hidden hunger has
and nutrients pass through during remained a daunting aspect of nutrition
development and kernel dry down period. The security.
black layer or hilum on the tip cap acts as a
seal. Maize kernel is amenable to Discovery of opaque-2 gene and
manipulations that affect its nutritional value development of Quality Protein Maize
as its composition is largely controlled by (QPM)
genetics of the endosperm sink, maternal
parent and the environment (Nuss and The quality of maize protein is poor due to the
Tanumihardjo, 2010). presence of large concentration of an alcohol
soluble protein fraction, prolamines also
Variations in maize may also be defined known as zeins. The zein proteins located in
according to kernel texture as follows: dent, endosperm are very low in lysine and
flint, waxy, flour, sweet, pop and pod corn. tryptophan contents and since this fraction
Except for pod corn, these divisions are based contributes >50% of the total protein, the
on the quality, quantity, and pattern of maize protein is, therefore, deficient in these
endosperm composition, which defines the amino acids. Also, zein contains very high
size of the kernel and are not indicative of amount of leucine and imbalanced proportion
natural relationships. Endosperm composition of isoleucine as well. The ill- proportion of
may be changed by a single gene difference, four essential amino acids in kernels results in
as in the case of floury (fl) versus flint (FI), poor protein quality affecting its biological
sugary (su) versus starchy (Su), waxy (wx) value i.e. the availability of protein to the
versus nonwaxy (Wx), and other single body. In addition commonly available maize
recessive gene modifiers that have been used or Normal Maize (NM) lacks vitamin B and
in breeding special-purpose maize, viz. sweet also due to high concentrations of phytate,
corn, popcorn, waxy maize, etc. bioavailability of some minerals in the grain
is low.
Maize and nutrition
Globally, the research on various aspects of
Despite the world-wide increase of food protein quality was initiated during mid
availability, there are still around 800 million 1960’s when certain mutants were identified
people undernourished. Vast majority of this in the experimental fields of Connecticut,
is from Sub Saharan Africa and developing USA that later showed higher levels of lysine
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in their grains due to the presence of gene Improving its protein quality therefore, has
called opaque 2 (Mertz et al., been one of the major objectives of Indian
1964).Following the discovery of fl2 and breeding programmes. The status of protein
other mutations in 1960s, several studies were quality measures in Indian maize genotypes
conducted to investigate the nutritional value of NM and QPM is summarized in Table 2. A
of these mutants. The observation that lysine perusal of data indicated the abundance of
and tryptophan contents were double than that prolamines (undesirable protein fraction) in
in common maize eventually prompted the NM which is reduced to half in QPM
breeding of opaque 2 varieties. The genotypes.
deployment of such varieties on farmers’
fields, however, met with little success. QPM and nutrition security
Despite the higher amino acid levels, the soft,
chalky endosperm characteristic of these With the development of QPM cultivars, new
mutations was more susceptible to fungal ear vistas were opened up for achieving food and
rots, lower yielding, and unappealing to maize nutrition security of the under-privileged
growers. With the discovery of opaque2 masses especially in Sub-Saharan Africa,
modifier genes, maize breeders at CIMMYT Latin America and South Asia (Prasanna et
took up conventional breeding programmes al., 2001). Globally, dissemination of QPM is
that improved the agronomic shortcomings recognized as a step towards seeking nutrition
and amino acid contents through backcrossing security among economically deprived
and recurrent selection and were able to sections of the societies as it is cheaper, more
produce higher yielding, lysine / tryptophan - affordable and easy to produce compared to
rich germplasm that lacked the characteristic animal protein (Gupta et al., 2009). The
opaque endosperm. Such germplasm was protein quality in terms of % casein is highest
designated as Quality Protein Maize (Vasal, in opaque-2 followed by QPM than NM and
2000; 2001).Quality Protein Maize (QPM) some other important cereals. This
was evolved by selecting genetic modifiers, information has been compiled in Table 3.
multiple, unlinked opaque modifiers (OPM) Agronomically, the opaque 2 varieties failed
that convert the starchy endosperm of an on farmers’ fields due to a number of reasons
opaque 2 mutant to a hard, vitreous including low yield, chalky soft grains and
phenotype. The QPM genotypes are greater vulnerability to stored insect-pests
homozygous for opaque- 2 gene and have despite its superior protein quality. QPM, on
endosperm modifiers that provide grain the other hand, displayed promise in tackling
texture similar to NM. In QPM the nutrition-related issues and has elicited keen
concentration of zein is lowered by ~30 interest amongst marginalized farming
percent, as a result lysine and tryptophan communities. Hence, breeding and production
contents double in the endosperm proteins of QPM stands out as an alternative protein
and the protein quality shows remarkable source for poor-resource farming/ tribal
improvement over normal counterparts. The communities. It has the potential to fulfill the
lower contents of leucine further balance the protein requirements of different sections of
ratios of leucine to isoleucine. The balanced society, viz. infants, lactating mothers,
proportion of all these essential amino acid convalescing patients, Kwashiorkor diseased,
enhances the biological value of protein. The old persons and infirm, etc. It can also be
true protein digestibility is almost same, but effectively utilized for diversified purposes as
the biological value of QPM is just double as health food/mixes, convenience foods,
compared to NM (Vasal et al., 1993). specialty foods and emergency ration.
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Nutritional studies have demonstrated that Calculations for pig and poultry ration
QPM consumption can reduce or prevent containing NM, QPM, sorghum, soybeans
stunted growth in young children whose diets meal and synthetic lysine and tryptophan
are heavy in maize (Gunaratne et al., 2010). showed that the usage of QPM in place of
The products developed from QPM can also maize resulted in saving of 2.8% on chickens
replace fancied and highly priced industrial feed and 3.4 % on pig feed (Lopez-Pereira,
foods. These can also be prepared in villages 1992). Studies have also documented
and thus could be a great source of rural improved growth in pigs when QPM is
entrepreneurship as well. substituted for conventional maize thereby
increasing the bio- available protein (Mbuya
By virtue of its balanced amino acid profile, et al., 2011; Yongfeng and Jay-Lin, 2016).
QPM has opened a new opportunity in the Thus, QPM can reduce the cost of animal feed
area of animal nutrition as well. The global by decreasing the expenditure incurred on
shift in cereal demand favoring maize reflects more expensive high protein sources.
rising incomes with consequent growth in
meat consumption which drives demand for Exogenous vs. endogenous fortification
maize as a major feed crop. The projections
have indicated 30% increase in global Foods such as flour, salt, sugar, and cooking
demand for monogastric animals like poultry oil, have been frequent vehicles for food
and pork. The poultry industry is seeking fortification by adding essential vitamins and
maize with improved amino acids and oil minerals. But this is expensive, unpopular as
content (Hellin and Erenstein, 2009). To well as un-economical. Recent advances
exploit fully their genetic potential, balanced focused on staple crop enrichment, such as
diets are required (Ignjatovic-Micic et al., maize and maize-based food products. QPM
2013). Nutritionally enhanced QPM provides an ideal germplasm - base upon
augmented with oil therefore has potential for which a number of nutritionally important
replacing more expensive dietary sources of traits such as Fe, Zn, oil, carotenes,
fats and proteins. In animal feed, a high oil tocopherols, methionine, etc could be
concentration in kernels is desirable since the combined to strengthen breeding of nutrient-
calorific value of oil is higher than that of enriched biofortified maize (Vallabhaneni et
starch with better utilization of oil and protein al., 2009; Kuhnen et al., 2009; Jaradat and
(Saleh et al., 1997; Yin et al., 2002). The Goldstein, 2013, 2018; Changan et al., 2017).
experiments of dietary replacement of NM by With some identified donors for high
QPM demonstrated significant increase in the nutrients, varieties are being developed
weight gain of broilers with greatly improved through conventional breeding by crossing
feed efficiency. In broiler diet, the with popular varieties. Recent approaches for
substitution of QPM for NM at a rate of 60% biofortification include identification of
substantially reduces the need for soybean genomic regions/candidate genes for high
meal and therefore the cost (Subsuban et al., nutrients through tagging/identification of
1990). Similarly, in an experiment with major genes or mapping of quantitative trait
finisher pigs, less soybean meal was needed loci (QTL) followed by their introgression
to maximize performance in diets based on into popular varieties. Being a genetic
QPM compared with diets having NM. Linear solution, growing biofortified crops does not
programming models allow feed companies to require any additional expenditure by farmers
identify the cheapest way of providing the as this approach uses intrinsic properties of
minimum dietary requirements for farm stock. crops. In India, biofortified crops have been
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puddings, salad dressings and confections. contents. All the major sweeteners are
Maize starch is also used for the production of commercially made from maize starch.
dextrose and com syrup. Various food
technologies are currently used for processing In conclusions, nutritional insecurity is among
industrially produced maize flours and corn the major threats to the growing population
meals in different parts of the world to obtain especially in the developing countries of the
precooked refined maize flour, dehydrated world. Maize is a good source of vitamins,
nixtamalized flour, fermented maize flours, minerals, starch, sugar and dietary fiber
and other maize products. These products among many nutrients.
have different intrinsic vitamin and mineral
Table.2 Status of various protein fractions and amino acids in NM and QPM kernels of Indian
genotypes
Table.3 Protein quality in different types of maize vis a vis other cereals
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Table.4 Protein and tryptophan contents in yellow QPM hybrids released in India
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The cost-benefit ratio of maize production is identified with requisite isolation distance,
highest among the cereals because of its very good connectivity of roads, assured irrigation
high productivity while the economics of its and storage facilities.
cultivation is almost similar as that of
sorghum and wheat. Since a lot of small-scale In India, tribal population constitutes
farmers are involved in maize farming, it approximately 10% of the total population
makes it an affordable source of nourishment and is found in most parts of the country
for people living in rural areas. QPM hybrid especially in the states of Madhya Pradesh,
seed availability is an issue that concerns the Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
public institutions as no private organizations North east, etc. Tribal people are
have ventured into QPM research. So to solve acknowledged to have very close association
the availability of quality seed, special with ecosystem and environment because of
attention has to be paid by developing their dependence on nature directly for daily
regional seed hubs. Such alternative sites for requirements. However, the problem of
seed production of QPM hybrids may be malnutrition arises due to inadequate intake of
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2002. Digestible energy and amino acid Yongfeng, A., and Jay-Lin, J.,
contents in Canadian varieties of 2016.Macronutrients in corn and human
sorghum, pearl millet, high-oil corn, nutrition. Compre. Reviews Food Sci.
high-oil-high-protein corn and regular Food safety, 15: 581-598.
corn samples for growing pigs. Canad. doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12192.
J. Anim. Sci. 82(3): 385–91.
Jyoti Kaul, Khushbu Jain and Dhirender Olakh. 2019. An Overview on Role of Yellow Maize
in Food, Feed and Nutrition Security. Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 8(02): 3037-3048.
doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2019.802.356
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