Relationships Between the Microstructure, Physical Features, and Chemical Composition of Different Maize Accessions from Latin America
Ernesto David Narváez‐González, Juan de Dios Figueroa‐Cárdenas, Suketoshi Taba, Eduardo Castaño‐Tostado, Ramón Álvar Martínez Peniche, Froylán Rincón-Sánchez
Cereal Chemistry
Abstract
ABSTRACT Chemical composition (moisture, total lipids, protein, and apparent amylose) and some physical features (1,000 kernel weight, hardness, and anatomical composition) were determined in 71 accessions representing races of maize from Latin America. Their microstructural characteristics (size and compaction of endosperm cell bodies, pericarp thickness, horny‐floury endosperm ratio, and morphology and size of starch granules) were also evaluated using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Compaction was the most important microstructural feature of the maize kernels, representing kernel hardness. Highly compact kernels tended to be hard, with high protein, pericarp, and hard‐endosperm content and high pericarp thickness, but with low moisture, amylose content, and kernel weight and size. The opposite was observed in the least compact kernels. Highly compact kernels tended to have small, polygonal starch granules (<10 μm), while the least compact kernels contained large, spherical granules (>10 μm). These results suggest that microstructure is responsible for the physical features of maize kernels and that microstructure is related to chemical composition.
Extracted Claims
3 claims extracted from this paper into the knowledge graph
maize kernels have high protein, pericarp, and hard-endosperm content and high pericarp thickness
“Highly compact kernels tended to be hard, with high protein, pericarp, and hard‐endosperm content and high pericarp thickness, but with low moisture, amylose content, and kernel weight and size.”
maize kernels have large, spherical granules (>10 μm)
“Highly compact kernels tended to have small, polygonal starch granules (<10 μm), while the least compact kernels contained large, spherical granules (>10 μm).”
maize kernels have small, polygonal starch granules (<10 μm)
“Highly compact kernels tended to have small, polygonal starch granules (<10 μm), while the least compact kernels contained large, spherical granules (>10 μm).”