BIOPRODUCTS
The term
bioproducts designates a wide variety of corn refining products made
from natural, renewable raw materials which replace products made from
non-renewable resources or which are produced by chemical synthesis. The
most widely known bioproduct is ethanol
- a motor fuel additive fermented from corn. Ethanol has become such an
integral part of our economy it deserves a page of its own. Ethanol has
been made from grain for thousands of years, but it is only in the last
20 years that it has achieved widespread use as a motor fuel ingredient.
Fermentation of corn-derived dextrose has created an entirely a new
group of bioproducts: organic acids, amino acids, vitamins and food
gums.
Citric and lactic acid from corn can be found in hundreds of food and
industrial products. They provide tartness to foods and confections,
help control pH and are themselves feedstocks for further products.
Amino acids from corn provide a vital link in animal nutrition systems.
Most grain feeds don't have the amount of lysine required by swine and
poultry for optimal nutrition. Economical corn based lysine is now
available worldwide to help supplement animal feeds. Threonine and
tryptophan for feed supplements also come from corn.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E - vital human nutritional supplements - are now
derived from corn, supplanting old production systems which relied on
chemical synthesis. Even well-known food additives such as monosodium
glutamate and xanthan gum are now produced by fermenting a dextrose
feedstock.
Today's world is awash in plastic waste. Corn refiners now have fully
commercial products to help deal with the plastic disposal problem and
are developing an increasing array of degrable plastic products.
Extrusion, the same process used to make snack foods, can alter the
physical structure of corn starch to make totally biodegradable
packaging peanuts such as Eco-foamTM. Other biodegradable
plastics such as Eco-PlaTM are being made by modification of
lactic acid. |
