ABSTRACT
The water free portion of maize kernel contains starch 77 %, sugar 2 %, protein 9 %, fat 5%, pentosans 5 % and ash 2 %. The entire protein in maize is known to be low in quality because zein is deficient in tryptophan and lysine which are essential amino acids. In general the normal maize does possess protein on par with wheat and definitely higher than rice. Next to cumbu, maize has higher percentage of fat than other cereals. It also possesses higher minerals than rice. The analysis of vitamin content in these crops reveal that maize contains the largest quantity of Vitamin A compared to all the important cereals. Further it also contains high thiamine than rice, sorghum and cumbu. Attempts have been made in Tamil Nadu to improve the local maize strains with high lysine and tryptophan content through hybridization with Mexican varieties carrying opaque-2 gene.
