**1. Introduction**

Corn is by far the cereal most commonly consumed by the people and cultures of the American continent: ancient civilizations, such as the Olmec and the Teotihuacan in Mesoamerica and the Quechuas in the Andean region of South America, developed around this plant [1].

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Pre-Columbian natives deified this plant due to its relevance in their lives; the sacred book of the Quiche, the Popol Vuh, even tries to explain the origin of man by narrating how corn was given to mankind by the gods Paxil and Cayalan [2].

**2. Corn as healthy food**

tions, thus preventing the occurrence of diseases [10].

In recent years, cereal consumption has been linked to the reduction of chronic-degenerative diseases such as cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and metabolic problems, and even symptoms associated with neurodegenerative problems. These health benefits have been attributed to the vast variety and high concentration of nutraceutical molecules present in cereals. Strictly speaking, these molecules cannot be considered as nutritional elements in themselves, but as bioactive components that can interact with biological systems from various cellular mechanisms, allowing optimal maintenance of the body's physiological func-

The Maize Contribution in the Human Health http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78700 31

The confusion that usually arises when talking about concepts such as "nutrients," "nutraceuticals," "functional foods," and "nutritional supplements" should be noted. Clarifying these terms becomes relevant if one takes into account that the different qualities of the elements included in these categories can directly impact on their consumption. The term "nutrients" refers to the elements of a diet that can be absorbed by the body and incorporated into different physiological systems, allowing for basic functions to occur. For example, lipids and carbohydrates are known as the source of metabolic energy, as constituents of the cell membrane and as hormonal precursors; in its turn, the integration of proteins into the organism is used as an element of cellular structural reconstitution and integration into enzymatic systems. Also, vitamins and minerals allow for osmotic maintenance to occur, participate in nerve and muscle functioning, and can act as enzymatic cofactors. On the other hand, the term nutraceutical refers to the consumption of substances contained in food, able to promote beneficial effects on health without having direct participation in the basic processes of the different systems. The functional food concept encompasses natural or processed food products that contain biologically active compounds, which may or may not be nutrients. Together, these molecules must have the capacity to promote health benefits, preventing or aiding in the treatment of chronic diseases, in nontoxic quantities that can be included in a daily diet [11]. As an example of the above, the consumption of fish that provide omega fatty acids can be mentioned; also, the consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in minerals, vitamins, and dietary fiber, as well as other foods added with biologically active substances such as antioxidants and probiotics [12]. In recent times, cereals such as corn have been acknowledged as functional foods, as they are an important source of calories, as well as proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, fibers, and antioxidants with a nutraceutical function. The nutritional contribution of corn to the world population is undeniable, partly because of the great versatility of its kernels to produce food. Corn for consumption is mainly processed by three methods: dry milling, wet milling, and alkaline cooking (nixtamalization), and it is through these processes that the raw material for the production of different products is generated. Corn can be consumed in nixtamalized products such as tortillas and chips, in prepared beverages such as chicha morada, atole, tejuino, or pozol, in dishes such as polenta, pozole, or tamales, and all of these are merely a fraction of the many byproducts derived from this cereal. The flexibility with which this plant can be exploited should be emphasized, since its contribution to health keeping and

Corn is a monocotyledonous plant cultivated widely around the world and has constituted itself in one very common staple food. Corn and its wild variant, teosinte, belongs to the Poaceae family, of the Maydeas tribe; species of the *Tripsacum* genus are wild variants of corn, also originating in the American continent, but without any direct trade value. This family also includes important agricultural crops, such as wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, and sugar cane. Based on the characteristics of the ear or male inflorescence, the *Zea* genus divides into two sections, luxurians and annuals [3].

In Latin America, corn is a staple food product, and so it is the crop of greatest production, and it is also used as a dietary input for livestock, and for the industrial production of large numbers of products; that is why, from a nutritional, economic, political, and social point of view, it is the most important agricultural product. Generally, the diet of a people develops a collective memory and transcends mere food consumption, expressing socioeconomic relations and revealing acts deeply rooted in cultural symbolism [4, 5].

Corn as food has been found in archeological ruins and manuscripts such as the Florentine or the Mendoza Codices, wherein it has been possible to elucidate that corn represented on the main components of the Mesoamerican diet since the Middle Preclassic (1200–400 BC) [4–6]. Archeological remains also show the use and consumption of other plants important during that period; however, ancient settlers developed a preference for corn and it kept growing in popularity.

In pre-Hispanic times, the production of flours, pinole, and the ancient equivalent to modern "popcorn" stood out [7]. Currently, corn is widely consumed in of tortillas, arepas, toasts, tamales, snacks, corncobs, and in other various forms. When it comes to tortilla, it is now known that it not ancient as previously thought, but it was already prevalent in Mesoamerican diet by the time the Spaniards arrived at the continent. Today, the tortilla is considered as the basis of Mexican people's diet, directly related to its survival for over 3500 years [8]. The richness of indigenous cuisine based on corn was recorded in the reliable testimonies of conquistadors and chroniclers alike, from Hernán Cortés and Bernal Díaz del Castillo to Bernardino de Sahagún, all of them providing evidence of the high cultural development of ancient Mexicans, as well as of the rich diversity of corn, already noticeable back in those days. The miscegenation resulting from the Spanish Conquest had in gastronomy one of its main manifestations, enriching pre-Hispanic diet with elements from Spanish/Arab cuisine, and the other way around, too. However, the indigenous element dominated in this "food miscegenation," as can be seen in the fact that corn remains a fundamental ingredient and one of the main sources of energy in nowadays Latin American diet. An example of this can be seen in the fact that the average Mexican today obtains 1022 kilocalories and 26.3 g of protein from corn daily, which may represent 50% of an adult's daily intake, based on a diet of 2000 kilocalories with 56 g of protein [9].
