EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Maize (Botanical name: Zea Mays L) is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It is also one of the most important cereal crops globally and in India it is the third most important crop after rice and wheat. Maize, also known as corn, is a versatile crop grown over a range of agro climatic zones. In fact the suitability of maize to diverse environments is unmatched by any other crop and even every part of the maize plant has economic value: the grain, leaves, stalk, tassel, and cob can all be used to produce a large variety of food and non-food products. As it has yield potential far higher than any other cereal, it is sometimes referred to as the miracle crop or the ‘Queen of Cereals’.
Maize is processed to different products which serve industries like Paper, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Poultry and Food & Confectionary.
Trends:
· Emergence of Corn oil
· Corn to Ethanol
· Innovation uses of corn starch
The growth in the consumer industries on the back of low consumption, higher disposable incomes and evolving consumer tastes will trickle down to the maize processing industry. Various changes in the Indian spending patterns as well as consumption boom in the nation have given maize products increased applicability and hence the demand for maize products is ascending. Maize processing in India is fragmented and quite unorganized which limits us to capture the exact size of the industry. Industry in the past has grown at a healthy rate and we estimate it to continue its ride at the same velocity. We anticipate the maize consumption to rise to 25.2 million tonnes by 2016-17E.
1. OVERVIEW
Maize (Botanical name: Zea Mays L) is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It is also one of the most important cereal crops globally and in India it is the third most important crop after rice and wheat.
Maize, also known as corn, is a versatile crop grown over a range of agro climatic zones. In fact the suitability of maize to diverse environments is unmatched by any other crop and even every part of the maize plant has economic value: the grain, leaves, stalk, tassel, and cob can all be used to produce a large variety of food and non-food products. As it has yield potential far higher than any other cereal, it is sometimes referred to as the miracle crop or the ‘Queen of Cereals’.
The Global Scenario
In 2011-12, world maize production stood at 854 million tonnes. US dominates the world production of maize with nearly 37% of the total production, followed by China at ~21%. World maize production was estimated to be 950 million tons for 2012-2013, an increase of ~11% from 2011-2012. The chart below demonstrates the share of top maize producing countries in world maize production.
Figure 1 Top Maize producing countries in the world
Source: Industry Data
The Indian Scenario
Maize in India is an important cereal, and both the area under cultivation and production levels have steadily increased during the past two decades. In India, it is mainly used for poultry feed.
In India, the major maize producing areas are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Soils
Maize can be grown successfully in variety of soils ranging from loamy sand to clay loam. However, soils with good organic matter content having high water holding capacity with neutral pH are considered good for higher productivity. Being a sensitive crop to moisture stress particularly excess soil moisture and salinity stresses; it is desirable to avoid low lying fields having poor drainage and also the field having higher salinity. Therefore, the fields having provision of proper drainage should be selected for cultivation of maize.
Time of sowing
Maize can be grown in all seasons viz; Kharif (monsoon), post monsoon, Rabi (winter) and spring. During Rabi and spring seasons to achieve higher yield at farmer’s field, assured irrigation facilities are required. During Kharif season it is desirable to complete the sowing operation 12-15 days before the onset of monsoon. However, in rainfed areas, the sowing time should be coincided with onset of monsoon.
Uses of Maize in India
Maize has varied uses in India, varying from feed to industrial products. The crop is primarily, more than 50%, used for poultry feed, nearly one-fifth used for human consumption (Food) and the rest is used in breweries as well as for industrial products. It is used as a basic raw material for the production of starch, oil and protein, alcoholic beverages, food sweeteners and, more recently, fuel. The chart below demonstrates the consumption pattern of corn in India.
Figure 2 Consumption pattern of maize in India
Source: Directorate of Maize Research
Maize which is not used for feed or human consumption is processed to obtain its by-products which acts as a raw material for different industries. Of lately maize processing has gathered momentum in India and is gaining importance in the associated industries. The most common industrial by product of maize is starch or corn starch or corn flour.
1.1 MAIZE PROCESSING METHODS & BY PRODUCTS
Maize can be processed in two ways- dry milling and wet milling.
Dry Milling
In dry corn milling, the corn or Maize is tempered and cleaned with hot water and steamed for about 2-6 hours to soften the bran and the germ so that it becomes easier for them to be separated from the endosperm. The coarse, granular material is sifted using a sifter machine and then the miller extracts the oil and the corn flour from the kernel.
Wet Milling
The process begins with the corn kernels being soaked in large tanks called steep tanks in a dilute aqueous sulfur dioxide solution. The softened kernel is then processed to remove the germ which is further processed to remove the high-value corn oil. The Germ Meal remaining after the oil is extracted and marketed for animal feed use.
Following germ removal, the remaining kernel components are screened to remove the fiber. The fiber is combined with the evaporated, concentrated and dried steep liquor and other co-product streams to produce Corn Gluten Feed. The starch and gluten protein subsequently pass through the screens and the starch-gluten slurry is sent to centrifugal separators where the lighter gluten protein and the heavier starch are separated. The gluten protein is then concentrated and dried to produce Corn Gluten Meal, a 60% protein feed.
Some of the starch is then washed and dried or modified and dried. These starch products are marketed to the food, paper, and textile industries. The remaining starch can be processed into products such as sweeteners or ethanol. While the wet milling process is capital intensive with higher operating costs, the ability to produce a variety of products can be valuable in dealing with volatile markets. The wet milling process results in slightly lower ethanol yields than a traditional dry milling process since some of the fermentable starch exits the process attached to the saleable co-products.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Maize (Botanical name: Zea Mays L) is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It is also one of the most important cereal crops globally and in India it is the third most important crop after rice and wheat. Maize, also known as corn, is a versatile crop grown over a range of agro climatic zones. In fact the suitability of maize to diverse environments is unmatched by any other crop and even every part of the maize plant has economic value: the grain, leaves, stalk, tassel, and cob can all be used to produce a large variety of food and non-food products. As it has yield potential far higher than any other cereal, it is sometimes referred to as the miracle crop or the ‘Queen of Cereals’. Maize is processed to different products which serve industries like Paper, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Poultry and Food & Confectionary. Trends: • Emergence of Corn oil • Corn to Ethanol • Innovation uses of corn starch The growth in the consumer industries on the back of low consumption, higher disposable incomes and evolving consumer tastes will trickle down to the maize processing industry. Various changes in the Indian spending patterns as well as consumption boom in the nation have given maize products increased applicability and hence the demand for maize products is ascending. Maize processing in India is fragmented and quite unorganized which limits us to capture the exact size of the industry. Industry in the past has grown at a healthy rate and we estimate it to continue its ride at the same velocity. We anticipate the maize consumption to rise to 25.2 million tonnes by 2016-17E. 1. OVERVIEW Maize (Botanical name: Zea Mays L) is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It is also one of the most important cereal crops globally and in India it is the third most important crop after rice and wheat. Maize, also known as corn, is a versatile crop grown over a range of agro climatic zones. In fact the suitability of maize to diverse environments is unmatched by any other crop and even every part of the maize plant has economic value: the grain, leaves, stalk, tassel, and cob can all be used to produce a large variety of food and non-food products. As it has yield potential far higher than any other cereal, it is sometimes referred to as the miracle crop or the ‘Queen of Cereals’. The Global Scenario In 2011-12, world maize production stood at 854 million tonnes. US dominates the world production of maize with nearly 37% of the total production, followed by China at ~21%. World maize production was estimated to be 950 million tons for 2012-2013, an increase of ~11% from 2011-2012. The chart below demonstrates the share of top maize producing countries in world maize production. Figure 1 Top Maize producing countries in the world Source: Industry Data The Indian Scenario Maize in India is an important cereal, and both the area under cultivation and production levels have steadily increased during the past two decades. In India, it is mainly used for poultry feed. In India, the major maize producing areas are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Soils Maize can be grown successfully in variety of soils ranging from loamy sand to clay loam. However, soils with good organic matter content having high water holding capacity with neutral pH are considered good for higher productivity. Being a sensitive crop to moisture stress particularly excess soil moisture and salinity stresses; it is desirable to avoid low lying fields having poor drainage and also the field having higher salinity. Therefore, the fields having provision of proper drainage should be selected for cultivation of maize. Time of sowing Maize can be grown in all seasons viz; Kharif (monsoon), post monsoon, Rabi (winter) and spring. During Rabi and spring seasons to achieve higher yield at farmer’s field, assured irrigation facilities are required. During Kharif season it is desirable to complete the sowing operation 12-15 days before the onset of monsoon. However, in rainfed areas, the sowing time should be coincided with onset of monsoon. Uses of Maize in India Maize has varied uses in India, varying from feed to industrial products. The crop is primarily, more than 50%, used for poultry feed, nearly one-fifth used for human consumption (Food) and the rest is used in breweries as well as for industrial products. It is used as a basic raw material for the production of starch, oil and protein, alcoholic beverages, food sweeteners and, more recently, fuel. The chart below demonstrates the consumption pattern of corn in India. Figure 2 Consumption pattern of maize in India Source: Directorate of Maize Research Maize which is not used for feed or human consumption is processed to obtain its by-products which acts as a raw material for different industries. Of lately maize processing has gathered momentum in India and is gaining importance in the associated industries. The most common industrial by product of maize is starch or corn starch or corn flour. 1.1 MAIZE PROCESSING METHODS & BY PRODUCTS Maize can be processed in two ways- dry milling and wet milling. Dry Milling In dry corn milling, the corn or Maize is tempered and cleaned with hot water and steamed for about 2-6 hours to soften the bran and the germ so that it becomes easier for them to be separated from the endosperm. The coarse, granular material is sifted using a sifter machine and then the miller extracts the oil and the corn flour from the kernel. Wet Milling The process begins with the corn kernels being soaked in large tanks called steep tanks in a dilute aqueous sulfur dioxide solution. The softened kernel is then processed to remove the germ which is further processed to remove the high-value corn oil. The Germ Meal remaining after the oil is extracted and marketed for animal feed use. Following germ removal, the remaining kernel components are screened to remove the fiber. The fiber is combined with the evaporated, concentrated and dried steep liquor and other co-product streams to produce Corn Gluten Feed. The starch and gluten protein subsequently pass through the screens and the starch-gluten slurry is sent to centrifugal separators where the lighter gluten protein and the heavier starch are separated. The gluten protein is then concentrated and dried to produce Corn Gluten Meal, a 60% protein feed. Some of the starch is then washed and dried or modified and dried. These starch products are marketed to the food, paper, and textile industries. The remaining starch can be processed into products such as sweeteners or ethanol. While the wet milling process is capital intensive with higher operating costs, the ability to produce a variety of products can be valuable in dealing with volatile markets. The wet milling process results in slightly lower ethanol yields than a traditional dry milling process since some of the fermentable starch exits the process attached to the saleable co-products.