Purple corn
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Purple corn (Spanish: maíz morado) or purple maize is another name for Blue corn, a variety of flint maize (Zea mays indurata) originating from Mesoamerica.
Uses
The kernels of purple corn are soaked in hot water by people of the Andes to yield a deep purple color for foods and beverages,[citation needed] a practice now recognized for its industrial uses as a colorant. Common in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, purple corn is used in chicha morada, a drink made by boiling ground purple corn kernels with pineapple, cinnamon, clove, and sugar, and in mazamorra, a type of pudding. One of the most popular purple corn food uses is the "Api", a smoothie served hot and sometimes called "Inca's dessert".[1]
Color chemistry: anthocyanins
The pigment giving purple corn its vivid color derives from an exceptional content of a class of polyphenols called anthocyanins. Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, also called chrysanthemin, is the major anthocyanin in purple corn kernels, comprising about 73% of all anthocyanins present.[2][3][4] Other anthocyanins identified are pelargonidin 3-O-β-D-glucoside, peonidin 3-O-β-D-glucoside, cyanidin 3-O-β-D-(6-malonyl-glucoside), pelargonidin 3-O-β-D-(6-malonyl-glucoside) and peonidin 3-O-β-D-(6-malonyl-glucoside).[2][3][4] Similar results for anthocyanin content were found from a variety of purple corn grown in China.[5]
Evaluating growing conditions for anthocyanin and total polyphenol content, one research group found that field location was an important determinant, whereas seedling density and soil potassium content were not.[6]
For ease of extractions, scientists have explored components of the purple corn plant for yield, such as kernels, cob and husk, possibly allowing use of a plentiful, non-edible residual biomass in cobs or husks. Husks of the purple corn plant contain about ten times higher content of anthocyanins than do kernels.[4]
Potential health benefits
Besides its use as food and dye, purple corn is under basic research for its anthocyanins possibly providing health benefits, such as in diabetic neuropathy.[7]
References
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