BioMatNet Item: Commercial Success of ECLAIR Programme - AGRE-0016: Adding value to European maize used in the starch industry in relation to growing areas and cultivation techniques used

Commercial Success of ECLAIR Programme
AGRE-0016: Adding value to European maize used in the starch industry in relation to growing areas and cultivation techniques used

Contacts

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FAIR-CT98-4822 Commercial Success of the ECLAIR Programme : Protein/Amino Acid : Starch

This Item is taken from a report produced by CPL Scientific on the Commercial Success of ECLAIR Programme 1999 under contract FAIR-CT98-4822. The Project Summary, Links to Individual Project Reports and Preface and Overview are available in separate items.

AGRE-0016: Adding value to European maize used in the starch industry in relation to growing areas and cultivation techniques used

Science Background

The corn wet-milling industry uses over five million tonnes of maize each year to produce starch, glucose syrups, corn oil and other related products. Most of the maize used, although grown in Member States (Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Greece) of the EU, varied in quality. The starch industry could benefit from a more consistent raw material.

Objectives

The objective was to compare the processing characteristics and products derived from a wide range of samples of maize derived from different varieties of maize grown under varying conditions (with varying fertilizer application, irrigation, crop density) in several geographical locations, over a number of years (1990 - 1992). The results were to be collected and provide a database that would enable the industry to select maize of optimal quality for wet-milling. The information would be collected from small samples processed in a pilot plant, with the resulting components then analysed further in public and industrial laboratories.

Significant changes and results since end of ECLAIR

Over 800 samples of maize kernels were collected in the field from plants grown under known conditions, from regions of varying climatic conditions, including those at the limit of its range, and subjected to a consistent wet-milling process. However, although the method adopted was agreed with the industrial partners, the performance of the pilot extraction was below that of an industrial plant. Overall some 10,000 sets of data were recorded and subject to statistical analysis.

Results

At end of this ECLAIR project

The experiments did not show any strong correlations between ease of processing and the various field parameters investigated. Some phenotypic variations were seen in yields, composition or ease of processing, correlated with climatic conditions or geographical location (latitude). However, these were predictable, known, or unexplained by the analysis of results available. Some new breeding material was produced.

Current position

Agronomic work on maize in Europe has continued in other directions, for instance in the production of genetically modified varieties for pesticide and herbicide resistance (see AGRE-0003), as well as continuing conventional breeding.

Evolution of the structure, trend towards a few large multinationals, of plant breeding, seed supply and starch processing has resulted in changes in priorities within the industries concerned.

Impact

Commercial

Some new lines (genetic material achieved by in situ haploidization) were made available to breeders, adding to their resources.

Associated

This approach to maize development was not continued.

Contacts

AGPM

Serge DAVID / AGPM FRANCE

Author