Sweet corn
Sweet corn (Zea mays convar. saccharata var. rugosa), also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of corn grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel. Sweet corn is picked when still immature (the milk stage) and prepared and eaten as a vegetable, rather than field corn, which is harvested when the kernels are dry and mature (dent stage). Since the process of maturation involves converting sugar to starch, sweet corn stores poorly and must be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, before the kernels become tough and starchy.
| Sweet corn | |
|---|---|
Husked sweet corn | |
| Species | Zea mays convar. saccharata var. rugosa |
| Origin | United States |
It is one of the six major types of corn, the others being dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, and flour corn.
According to the USDA, 100 grams of raw yellow sweet corn contains 3.43 g glucose, 1.94 g fructose, and 0.89 g sucrose.
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 360 kJ (86 kcal) |
19.02 g | |
| Sugars | 3.22 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.7 g |
1.18 g | |
3.2 g | |
| Tryptophan | 0.023 g |
| Threonine | 0.129 g |
| Isoleucine | 0.129 g |
| Leucine | 0.348 g |
| Lysine | 0.137 g |
| Methionine | 0.067 g |
| Cystine | 0.026 g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.150 g |
| Tyrosine | 0.123 g |
| Valine | 0.185 g |
| Arginine | 0.131 g |
| Histidine | 0.089 g |
| Alanine | 0.295 g |
| Aspartic acid | 0.244 g |
| Glutamic acid | 0.636 g |
| Glycine | 0.127 g |
| Proline | 0.292 g |
| Serine | 0.153 g |
| Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 1% 9 μg |
| Thiamine (B1) | 17% 0.200 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 11% 1.700 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 12% 46 μg |
| Vitamin C | 8% 6.8 mg |
| Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
| Iron | 4% 0.52 mg |
| Magnesium | 10% 37 mg |
| Potassium | 9% 270 mg |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Water | 75.96 g |
One ear of medium size (6-¾ to 7-½ inches long) maize has 90 grams of seeds | |
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| †Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA FoodData Central | |