Corn (Zea mays L.) fiber, which is the seed coat and residual endosperm left after grain processing, is a low-value residue that contains carbohydrates and aromatic compounds that could provide value-added coproducts. Treatment of corn fiber with NaOH and assessment by gas chromatography indicated a prevalence of ferulic acid, with about 90% ester-linked in the cell walls. p-coumaric acid was m...

Thermochemical gasification is one of the most promising technologies for converting biomass into power, fuels and chemicals. The objectives of this study were to maximize the net energy efficiency for biomass gasification, and to estimate the cost of producing industrial gas and combined heat and power (CHP) at a feedrate of 2000kg/h. Aspen Plus-based model for gasification was combined with a...

We evaluated the efficiency of the touchdown method to determine the ideal PCR conditions for distinct inter-simple sequence repeat primers for processing DNA from common corn, popcorn, sweet corn, and a Tripsacum-maize hybrid. Genomic DNA was extracted from eight accessions of corn: two of the dent type, one Tripsacum-maize hybrid, one sweet corn, one flint-type corn, and three popcorn. Fiftee...

Corn production, and its associated inputs, is a relatively large source of greenhouse gas emissions and uses significant amounts of water and land, thus contributing to climate change, fossil fuel depletion, local air pollutants, and local water scarcity. As large consumers of this corn, corporations in the ethanol and animal protein industries are increasingly assessing and reporting sustaina...

The hygiene hypothesis suggests that early life exposure to a nonhygienic environment that contains endotoxin reduces the risk of developing allergic diseases. The mechanisms underlying the hygiene hypothesis are unclear and may involve subtle immune system interactions that occur during maturation. Experimental objectives of this study were to use a novel animal model to test the hygiene hypot...

Four Holstein steers (208 kg) with "T" cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design experiment to evaluate the interaction of feed intake level on comparative ruminal and total tract digestion of dry-rolled and steam-flaked corn. The basal diet contained (DM basis) 6% alfalfa hay, 6% sudangrass hay, 75% corn, 2% yellow grease, 5% cottonseed meal, 3% cane ...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common and serious metabolic disorder throughout the world. Several herbs have been known to cure and control diabetes without any side effects. Corn silk (CS) is one of these herbs that are rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant activity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect of gamma-irradiated...