ABSTRACT
In the U.S., maize is the most dominant agricultural crop, covering almost 4% of the nation’s surface area (USDA 2012). Maize has more applications in human life than any other natural product. It is estimated that almost 95% of the food products sold in a grocery store in the U.S. contains at least one form of maize product. In addition, maize is used for ethanol production, livestock feed, and is the source for many food product additives (NCGA 2013). Apart from the traditional uses of maize as food and feed, several non-traditional uses of maize are gaining importance. This chapter focusses on three such uses, biofuel production, phytoremediation and production of pharmaceuticals.
