Corn is one of the most important and versatile crops grown on Earth. Its uses stretch far beyond the realm of foodstuffs, and if corn harvests continue to decline there will be a lot more to miss than cornbread. Corn and corn-derived products are used in everything from medicines to car parts, and much more. In 2020, the United States alone grew more than 32% of the world’s corn, and exported 2.7 billion bushels of the stuff in 2018.
Want to know more? Read on to learn about the many products made out of corn.
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Ethanol
In the early 21st century, the United States government put in place a federal mandate stating that all gas must be cut with 10% ethanol. Ethanol is derived from corn. In more recent years, this policy has come under fire for worsening an already dire climate crisis.
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Drywall
A primary component of gypsum drywall, chelation, which acts as an anti-molding agent, is produced with the help of corn starch.
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Adhesives
Corn is involved in the production process of just about every adhesive you can think of, from kindergarten glue sticks to carpenter glue. Some use corn flour, while others use corn oil.
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Cosmetics
It’s safe to say that the majority of cosmetic products in your bathroom contain corn. Everything from conditioner to lip gloss counts on corn products somewhere along the way.
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Other vegetables that aren’t corn
Somehow, corn is even essential in growing other vegetables. Certain store-bought veggies like celery and carrots are treated with a corn-based processing aid called ICEIN before they hit the shelves, which helps the veggies appear fresher for longer.
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Wax paper
Zein, the main protein in corn kernels, is the base of the lubricant put on wax paper to give it that, well, waxy feel.
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Artificial bone tissue
The uses for zein are myriad. In addition to making an excellent wax, zein is also spun into sturdy fibers that are used as artificial bone and gum tissue and is commonly used in dental surgery.
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Artificial sweeteners
It turns out replacing corn syrup sweeteners with artificial alternatives is a true act in futility. The main component in artificial sweeteners like Splenda is maltodextrin, which, you guessed it, comes from corn.
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Hand soap
Hand soaps are chock-full of corn-based products. The vast majority of aromatics and colorants that make hand soaps so appealing are bound together by corn products.
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Windex
This cleaning product is filled with ingredients based on corn. The colorants that make Windex bottles catch your eye from the shelf, and even the main cleaning agent, 2-Hexoxyethanol, all begin as corn.
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Wood varnish
The component in wood varnish that gives it that beautiful sheen is called alkyd, and alkyd is a modified version of corn oil.
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Toothpaste
Most toothpastes, no matter what the flavor, are flavored with compounds based on sorbitol, which is derived from corn glucose.
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Matchsticks
Corn starch is all over your matches. It’s mixed into the sticks themselves to make them more rigid, it’s in the coated tip, and it’s on the strike side of the box as well.
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Cement
Cement and paving bricks usually contain a corn-derived substance called calcium stearate. Calcium stearate helps keep the bricks and cement waterproof once they’ve solidified.
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Aspirin
Remember when Aspirin pills all of a sudden came with a smooth, waxy coating on them? That’s when Bayer began coating their pills with cellulose acetate phthalate, a corn derivative that protects the pills from stomach acid until they reach your intestines.
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Tires
While tires themselves don’t contain any corn, the molds that they’re made in are completely covered with the stuff. Having the molds coated in corn starch makes removing the tires from their molds infinitely easier.
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Jelly beans
The same concept can be applied to jelly beans. Without the help of corn starch, some poor soul would be stuck picking these little candies out of their molds one by one for hours on end.
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Molded plastics
As petroleum becomes more and more obsolete in the production of plastics, processed corn has swooped in to take its place.
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Spark plugs
Corn starch can be a protective force, too. When heat is introduced to heat, it can harden into an insular coating. This process has been used to protect spark plugs from the hot and toxic dangers of your car engine for decades.
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Diapers
Corn products dominate the diaper industry, too. Your run-of-the-mill Pampers use acrylic acid, a derivative of ethylene, as an absorbent, and even the natural brands make good use of corn starch.
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Chewing gum
Unsurprisingly, corn syrups are the preferred sweetener and flavor binder in most brands of chewing gum, whether the gum in question is fruity, minty, or spicy.
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Paint
Numerous brands of paint use alkyd, the same corn product that is in wood varnish, as a binding agent. This makes paint at once more versatile and resistant, and easy to clean up after all the painting is done.
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Batteries
In some brands of dry cell batteries, corn starch is used as a natural electrical conductor, in the form of what is called “bioelectricity.”
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Shoe polish
Corn syrup isn’t just for sweetening up food products. Corn syrup is also the base for a number of other products, including shoe polish.
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Crayons
Corn is also involved in multiple steps of the crayon production process. Dextrin, which is derived from corn starch, assists in the molding process, while other corn products help the crayons keep their shape.
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Explosives
Corn can even be useful in making explosives. When inositol, an alcohol found in corn, is nitrated, it can become a powerful explosive.
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Fireworks
Major celebrations would be a lot quieter and a lot less bright without corn. Corn starch is used in fireworks to control the burn time of the pyrotechnics, making the beautiful timed and delayed light shows possible.
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Licorice candy
Licorice candy, while maybe a little polarizing, is enjoyed by plenty of people around the world. Corn starch saves the candy’s producers loads of time. Just like tires and jelly beans, licorice molds are coated in corn starch before the candy mixture goes in, to ensure easy removal after the licorice has cooled.
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Antibiotics
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