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Corn oil

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture

   Corn oil is oil extracted from the germ of corn (maize). Its main use
   is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes it a valuable frying
   oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarines. Corn oil has a
   milder taste and is less expensive than most other types of vegetable
   oils.

   One bushel of corn contains 1.55 pounds of corn oil (28 kg/ Mg). Corn
   agronomists have developed high-oil varieties, however, these varieties
   tend to show lower field yields, so they are not universally accepted
   by growers. Refined corn oil is 99% triglyceride, with proportions of
   approximately 59% polyunsaturated fatty acid, 24% monounsaturated fatty
   acid, and 13% saturated fatty acid.

   Corn oil is also one source of biodiesel. Biodiesel is commonly made
   from soybeans, but as corn oil refining technology improves, it will
   become a greater source of biodiesel and a backup source in case of
   large-scale soybean crop failures. Other industrial uses for corn oil
   include soap, salve, paint, rustproofing for metal surfaces, inks,
   textiles, and insecticides. It is sometimes used as a carrier for drug
   molecules in pharmaceutical preparations.

   The first commercial corn oil for cooking purposes was extracted in
   1898 and 1899 by machinery invented by Theodore Hudnut and Benjamin
   Hudnut of the Hudnut Hominy Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, and called
   "mazoil."

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_oil"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
