View source for Corn oil

'''Corn oil''' is [[oil]] extracted from the [[cereal germ|germ]] of corn ([[maize]]). Its main use is in cooking, where its high [[smoke point]] makes it a valuable [[frying]] oil. It is also a key ingredient in some [[margarine]]s. Corn oil has a milder taste and is less expensive than most other types of [[vegetable oil]]s.

One [[bushel]] of corn contains 1.55 [[pound (mass)|pound]]s of corn oil (2.8% by weight). Corn [[agricultural science|agronomists]] have developed high-oil varieties, however, these varieties tend to show lower field yields, so they are not universally accepted by growers. Refined corn oil is 99% [[triglyceride]], with proportions of approximately 59% polyunsaturated [[fatty acid]], 24% monounsaturated fatty acid, and 13% saturated fatty acid.

Corn oil is also one source of [[biodiesel]]. Biodiesel is commonly made from [[soybean]] or [[rapeseed]] oils, but as corn oil refining technology improves, it is expected to become a greater source of biodiesel and a backup source in case of large-scale soybean crop failures. Other industrial uses for corn oil include [[soap]], [[salve]], [[paint]], [[rustproofing]] for metal surfaces, [[ink]]s, [[textile]]s, and [[insecticide]]s. It is sometimes used as a carrier for drug molecules in [[pharmacology|pharmaceutical]] preparations.

The first commercial corn oil for cooking purposes was extracted in 1898 and 1899 by machinery invented by [[Theodore Hudnut]] and [[Benjamin Hudnut]] of the [[Hudnut Hominy Company]] of [[Terre Haute]], Indiana, and called "mazoil." 

==Further reading==

* {{cite journal|author=Dupont J, PJ White, MP Carpenter, EJ Schaefer, SN Meydani, CE Elson, M Woods, and SL Gorbach|title=Food uses and health effects of corn oil|journal=J Am Coll Nutr|date=October, 1990|volume=9|issue=5|pages=438-470}}

==External links==
*[http://www.iseo.org/ Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils]<br>
*[http://maize.agron.iastate.edu/ The Maize Page]<br>


{{fatsandoils}}

[[Category:Cooking oils]]
[[Category:Vegetable oils]]