Nutritional Properties of Different Parts of Super Sweet Corn according to Harvest Time

Abstract

This study investigates the nutritional characteristics of sweet corn kernels, silks, and cobs according to the harvest time. Our results will help to identify the most suitable harvest time for super sweet corn and provide basic data for processing. We observed increased levels of dietary fiber with increasing harvest time; the highest value of 17.84% was obtained in cobs harvested after the proposed suitable time. Total essential free amino acids were the highest at 2,624.45 mg/100 g in silks harvested before the suitable time and decreased with increasing harvest time. The total starch content was determined to increase with increasing harvest time (range, 4.41∼24.11%). Highest total free sugar content (46.03%) was obtained in kernels harvested before the suitable time, and the levels were observed to decrease with increasing harvest time. The fatty acid composition showed a high composition ratio of linoleic acid in all plant parts, with contents ranging from 44.52 to 46.55%, 35.91 to 37.43%, and 46.09 to 49.15% in kernels, silks, and cobs, respectively. We conclude that the nutritional characteristics differ depending on the harvest time and plant part. We believe that data from this study will help determine the harvest time according to the purpose of use.