*4.1.3 Conditionally essential amino acids*

These are needed in the diet unless abundant amounts of their precursors are available for their synthesis. The newborn may not have enzymes in adequate amounts to synthesise non-essential amino acid, or in intestinal metabolic dysfunction, arginine may not be synthesized. Hence it becomes a conditionally essential amino acid. Amino nitrogen is not freely interchanged between all amino acids. The precursors of conditionally essential amino acids are mentioned in **Table 4**.

### *4.1.4 Non-essential amino acids*

Non-essential amino acids are the ones that the body can make in adequate amount if nitrogen is available in the diet. They are non-essential only in the sense that they are not essential components of the diet as discussed in **Table 4**.

#### *4.1.5 Starch*

The main portion of maize grin is starch that provides more than 70% weight to its cereal kernel. Starch in maize is composed of two glucose polymers mainly amylose that contributes to 30% of its starch content and the rest of the content is made from amylose pectin (70%). Waxy maize is composed of 100% amylopectin content. Due to the pectin content, maize has a branch-type structure. The monosaccharide present in maize is comprised of glucose and fructose, and the disaccharide is comprised of sucrose in a little amount. The starch and sugar content of maize is presented in **Table 5**.

**25**

**4.2 B-complex vitamins**

**4.3 Fat-soluble vitamins**

causes pellagra that is also directly related with maize.

Maize is also enriched with B-complex vitamins that play a vital role in growth, healthy skin, heart, hair, brain, digestion, nails and dementia as well. Maize products can be used in the daily diet of coeliac patients to improve their health status [11]. People with coeliac disease cannot absorb gluten due to an abnormal immune reaction that occurs in the small intestine. So the only cure is consumption of gluten-free diet that helps in improving the gastrointestinal function [12]. Maize is enriched with thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and folic acid as well. The nutritional content of B-complex vitamin present in maize is discussed in **Table 6**. The B-complex vitamin present in maize is of water-soluble nature and found in the aleurone layer of the kernel. The processing method has significant direct relationship with the amount of vitamin present in maize. Moreover, niacin deficiency

**S. no. List of nutrients Nutritive value\*** Total available CHO 61.01 ± 0.76 Total starch 59.35 ± 0.83 Fructose 0.16 ± 0.03 Glucose 0.80 ± 0.01 Sucrose 0.70 ± 0.03 Total free sugars 1.66 ± 0.04

**S. no. List of nutrients Nutritive value\*** Thiamine (B1) (mg) 0.35 ± 0.039 Riboflavin (B2) (mg) 0.14 ± 0.014 Niacin (B3) (mg) 2.10 ± 0.09 Pantothenic acid (B5) (mg) 0.27 ± 0.02 Total B6 (mg) 0.28 ± 0.023 Biotin (B7) (mg) 0.70 ± 0.06 Total folates (B9) (mg) 39.42 ± 3.13

*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

*B-complex nutritive content of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

*Starch and sugar content (g) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

Maize contains fat-soluble vitamins that is comprised of provitamin A, carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, ergocalcifeol, tocopherol, phylloquinones (**Table 7**), etc. that have a unique role in preventing both ageing and cancer. These fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) act as antioxidants and scavenge the free radicals that help in protection against different types of cancer. The content of fat-soluble vitamin

*Nutritive Value*

**Table 5.**

**Table 6.**

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88963*

### *Nutritive Value DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88963*


*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India. \*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

#### **Table 5.**

*Maize - Production and Use*

**Amino acids Nutritive** 

Valine 5.41 ± 0.71

**Table 4.**

**Essential amino acids Conditionally essential** 

*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*Essential and non-essential amino acid profile (g) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

**value \***

various functions (**Table 4**).

*4.1.4 Non-essential amino acids*

*4.1.3 Conditionally essential amino acids*

achieved in the liver by the process of transamination, whereby an amino group is shifted from one molecule to another under the influence of amino transferases, the coenzyme of which is pyridoxal phosphate. The inability to synthesize the carbon skeleton of these amino acids is the probable reason why they are dietary essentials. There are nine essential amino acids that are required for a human body to perform

**amino acids**

Histidine 2.70 ± 0.21 Arginine 4.20 ± 0.24 Alanine 7.73 ± 0.46 Isoleucine 3.67 ± 0.22 Cysteine 1.55 ± 0.14 Asparagine — Leucine 12.24 ± 0.57 Glycine 3.27 ± 0.15 Aspartic acid 6.55 ± 0.59 Lysine 2.64 ± 0.18 Proline 7.88 ± 0.71 Glutamic acid 19.39 ± 0.70 Methionine 2.10 ± 0.17 Tyrosine 3.71 ± 0.18 Glutamine — Phenylalanine 5.14 ± 0.29 Serine 4.58 ± 0.44 Threonine 3.23 ± 0.29 Selenocysteine — Tryptophan 0.57 ± 0.12 Pyrrolysine —

**Nutritive value** 

**Amino acids**

**Non-essential amino acids**

**Amino acids Nutritive value\***

These are needed in the diet unless abundant amounts of their precursors are available for their synthesis. The newborn may not have enzymes in adequate amounts to synthesise non-essential amino acid, or in intestinal metabolic dysfunction, arginine may not be synthesized. Hence it becomes a conditionally essential amino acid. Amino nitrogen is not freely interchanged between all amino acids. The

precursors of conditionally essential amino acids are mentioned in **Table 4**.

that they are not essential components of the diet as discussed in **Table 4**.

Non-essential amino acids are the ones that the body can make in adequate amount if nitrogen is available in the diet. They are non-essential only in the sense

The main portion of maize grin is starch that provides more than 70% weight to its cereal kernel. Starch in maize is composed of two glucose polymers mainly amylose that contributes to 30% of its starch content and the rest of the content is made from amylose pectin (70%). Waxy maize is composed of 100% amylopectin content. Due to the pectin content, maize has a branch-type structure. The monosaccharide present in maize is comprised of glucose and fructose, and the disaccharide is comprised of sucrose in a little amount. The starch and sugar content of maize is presented in **Table 5**.

**24**

*4.1.5 Starch*

*Starch and sugar content (g) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*


#### **Table 6.**

*B-complex nutritive content of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

## **4.2 B-complex vitamins**

Maize is also enriched with B-complex vitamins that play a vital role in growth, healthy skin, heart, hair, brain, digestion, nails and dementia as well. Maize products can be used in the daily diet of coeliac patients to improve their health status [11]. People with coeliac disease cannot absorb gluten due to an abnormal immune reaction that occurs in the small intestine. So the only cure is consumption of gluten-free diet that helps in improving the gastrointestinal function [12]. Maize is enriched with thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and folic acid as well. The nutritional content of B-complex vitamin present in maize is discussed in **Table 6**.

The B-complex vitamin present in maize is of water-soluble nature and found in the aleurone layer of the kernel. The processing method has significant direct relationship with the amount of vitamin present in maize. Moreover, niacin deficiency causes pellagra that is also directly related with maize.

### **4.3 Fat-soluble vitamins**

Maize contains fat-soluble vitamins that is comprised of provitamin A, carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, ergocalcifeol, tocopherol, phylloquinones (**Table 7**), etc. that have a unique role in preventing both ageing and cancer. These fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) act as antioxidants and scavenge the free radicals that help in protection against different types of cancer. The content of fat-soluble vitamin


*Source: Longvah et al. [6]s, Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India. \*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

#### **Table 7.**

*Nutritive content of fat-soluble vitamin in maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*


*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

#### **Table 8.**

*Essential fatty acid profile (mg) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

depends upon the genotype of maize whether it is fortified or not, that is, yellow maize is enriched with different types of carotenoid pigment due to its genotype, while white maize is deficient in carotenoid content due to absence of this genotype.

Majority of the carotenoid contents are present in the hard endosperm of maize kernel and the rest in small quantity in the germ. The ergocalciferol content present in maize helps in the bone formation and tocopherol (α, β, γ) in anti-ageing and cosmetic products. As an antioxidant, tocopherol (vitamin E) helps in protecting different types of skin cancer. Phylloquinone (vitamin K) helps in the blood clotting when an accident or injury happens. It has anticoagulating properties. The following tables discussed the nutritive value of fat-soluble vitamin content present in maize (**Tables 7–12**).

**27**

*Nutritive Value*

**Table 9.**

**Table 10.**

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88963*

**S. no. List of nutrients Nutritive value\*** Aluminium (Al) 2.82 ± 0.16 Calcium (Ca) 8.91 ± 0.61 Chromium (Cr) 0.010 ± 0.006 Cobalt (Co) 0.010 ± 0.003 Copper (Cu) 0.45 ± 0.23 Iron (Fe) 2.49 ± 0.32 Lithium (Li) 0.002 ± 0.001

**S. no. List of nutrients Nutritive value\*** Total oxalate 15.26 ± 1.78 Insoluble oxalate 14.19 ± 1.30 Soluble oxalate 2.73 ± 1.34 Fumaric acid 0.66 ± 0.20 Malic acid 0.93 ± 0.50 Quinic acid 0.84 ± 0.07 Succinic acid 1.50 ± 0.23 Tartaric acid 0.94 ± 0.05

*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

*Total organic acid content (mg) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

*Minerals and trace content (mg) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

*4.3.1 Essential fatty acids (EFA)*

information from generation to generation.

The oil content of maize is extracted from the germ part which is genetically modified with an average range of 3–18%. Three classes of fatty acids are described according to the number of double bonds between the carbon atoms as described in **Table 8**. In saturated fatty acids, there are none; in an unsaturated fatty acid, there may be one (monoenoic or monounsaturated fatty acids) or two or more (polyenoic or polyunsaturated fatty acids) double bonds. Corn oil is enriched with PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) and MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid) while having low content of SFA (saturated fatty acid). SFA comprises of palmitic, stearic and arachidic acids. PUFA contains linoleic, α-linolenic, arachidonic and eicosaenoic acids that help in maintaining healthy skin and vision, strong immune system and optimum growth and development. Moreover, it has also anti-inflammatory properties and reduces the production of interleukin-1 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) by downregulating inflammatory response. It is also responsible for the formation of prostaglandins that are found in every single cell of the body and helps in regulating cell activities including transmission of genetic

This is rare in human beings that deficiency of fatty acid occurs. It has been reported, however, in patients fed solely by vein (total parenteral nutrition (TPN))

#### *Nutritive Value DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88963*


*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

#### **Table 9.**

*Maize - Production and Use*

**Table 7.**

**Table 8.**

**26**

depends upon the genotype of maize whether it is fortified or not, that is, yellow maize is enriched with different types of carotenoid pigment due to its genotype, while white maize is deficient in carotenoid content due to absence of this genotype. Majority of the carotenoid contents are present in the hard endosperm of maize kernel and the rest in small quantity in the germ. The ergocalciferol content present in maize helps in the bone formation and tocopherol (α, β, γ) in anti-ageing and cosmetic products. As an antioxidant, tocopherol (vitamin E) helps in protecting different types of skin cancer. Phylloquinone (vitamin K) helps in the blood clotting when an accident or injury happens. It has anticoagulating properties. The following tables discussed the nutritive value of fat-soluble

**S. no. List of nutrients Nutritive value\*** Lutein (μg) 186 ± 19.4 Zeaxanthin (μg) 42.4 ± 15.7 Β-Cryptoxanthin (μg) 110 ± 10.1 β-Carotene (μg) 186 ± 19.2 Total carotenoids (μg) 893 ± 154 Ergocalciferol (μg) 33.60 ± 2.82 Tocopherol-alpha (mg) 0.21 ± 0.04 Tocopherol-gamma (mg) 1.29 ± 0.17 Tocopherol-delta (mg) 0.38 ± 0.05 Tocotrienol-alpha (mg) 0.05 ± 0.00 α-Tocopherol, vitamin E (mg) 0.36 ± 0.03 Phylloquinones (vitamin K (μg) 2.50 ± 0.76

**S. no. List of fatty acids Nutritive value\*** Palmitic (C16:0) 363 ± 4.6 Stearic (C18:0) 42.45 ± 2.76 Arachidic (C20:0) 7.14 ± 0.95 Oleic (C18:1) 700 ± 17.9 Eicosaenoic (C20:1) 6.62 ± 0.74 Linoleic (C18:2) 1565 ± 18.2 α-Linolenic (C18:3) 40.76 ± 2.43 Total saturated fatty acids (TSFA) 413 ± 5.6 Total monounsaturated fatty acids (TMUFA) 706 ± 17.4 Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (TPUFA) 1606 ± 18.5

*Source: Longvah et al. [6]s, Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India.*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

*Essential fatty acid profile (mg) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

*\*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

*Nutritive content of fat-soluble vitamin in maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*

vitamin content present in maize (**Tables 7–12**).

*Minerals and trace content (mg) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*


*Source: Longvah et al. [6], Indian Food Composition Tables, Government of India. \*All the values are presented as per 100 grammes of edible portion.*

#### **Table 10.**

*Total organic acid content (mg) of maize, dry (*Zea mays*).*
