Maize grain

Common Name: Maize, corn, dent corn, field corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, sweet corn

Scientific Name: Zea mays L

Feed Categories: Cereal grains and by-products

Physical Characteristics:

The maximum size of kernels is reputedly 2.5 cm (1 in). An ear commonly holds 600 kernels. They are of various colors: blackish, bluish-gray, purple, green, red, white and yellow. When ground into flour, maize yields more flour with much less bran than wheat does.

Production/ availability:

Maize is the world’s most important feed grain because of its high nutritive value and good agronomic features. Maize can produce more energy per acre than any other cereal grain due to its C4 photosynthetic pathway. In 2020, maize production for Bangladesh was 4,400 thousand tonnes. Over the last 10 years, maize production of Bangladesh grew substantially from 1,954 to 4,400 thousand tonnes rising at an increasing annual rate that reached a maximum of 17.14% in 2019 and then decreased to 7.32% in 2020. Maize is a high energy grain because it is high in starch and oil and low in fibre. Maize contains about 70% starch, 85-90% TDN, 4% oil and about 8-12% protein. The grains should be ground before feeding to the ruminants, otherwise they will escape digestion. Maize contains starch, which composed of about 25% amylase and 75% amylopectin.