Corn Germ

Germ is one of the ingredients of the maize which is separated in Maize crushing process. Corm Germ is the endosperm of Maize grain; it is a yellow coloured seed, pleasantly nutty in taste and rich in oil. It is mainly used for extraction of maize oil and manufacturing of feed supplement.

Steps for preparation

  • The germs themselves are obtained from maize processing from wet milling (starch production) or dry milling (maize grits, maize flour, maize meal and ethanol production).
  • Germs are removed in the wet milling process to facilitate starch extraction, whereas they are removed in the dry milling process to improve the stability of maize grain products for use as food.
  • In the wet milling process, maize grain is steeped in water and then separated into kernels, from which starch is later extracted, and germs. The germs are washed, dried, and extracted first by mechanical extraction and then by solvent (hexane).
  • Maize germ meal consists of the spent germs and other maize grain fragments.