Revista Brasileira de Milho e Sorgo (Apr 2004)

STUDY OF TOTAL SOLUBLE SUGARS, REDUCING SUGARS AND STARCH COMPOSITION IN IMMATURE KERNELS OF CORN CULTIVARS

  • FERNANDA FÁTIMA CANIATO,
  • JOÃO CARLOS CARDOSO GALVÃO,
  • FERNANDO LUIZ FINGER,
  • ROSILENE ANTÔNIO RIBEIRO,
  • GLAUCO VIEIRA MIRANDA,
  • MARIO PUIATTI

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1
pp. 38 – 44

Abstract

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In this experiment, total soluble sugars (TSS), reducing sugars (RS), moisture and starch were determined at harvest in young kernels of the corn cultivars AL25, DOW270, BR106, CO32, AG4051, P3232, UFVM3, SHS4040, DOW170 and AG1051, for “fresh” consumption. The experiment was carried out in Viçosa, MG, Brazil. The experimental design was random blocks with three replicates, and the experimental units were composed by four 1-meter-spaced rows, with final stand of 50.000 plants.ha-1. Corn ears were harvested by using an empirical method, when the silk was loose from the ear. At harvest, three cobs from each experimental plot were collected and their grains analyzed for total soluble sugars and starch. Moisture varied among samples of different cultivars at harvest. Moisture content ranged from 54.7% to 72%. There were no differences among cultivars regarding TSS, RS and starch contents. All cultivars presented high contents of starch. However, the AL25, which presented flint kernels, showed adequate RS to TSS ratio (53,02%), being adequate for fresh consumption.

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