Comparison of Fatty Acid Profile of Specialty Maize to Normal Maize

Increasing utilization of specialty maize prompted us to evaluate its fatty acid profile. For this purpose maize germplasm, classified as low oil normal maize (group 1), high oil normal maize (group 2), quality protein maize (QPM) (group 3) and sweet corn (group 4) was evaluated for oil, starch, protein and fatty acid composition mainly palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid. High oil content was observed in sweet corn samples which might be result of shriveled grain texture because of an increased embryo to kernel ratio. Individual fatty acids showed wide differences among different groups. A slightly higher amount of palmitic acid was reported in specialty maize as compared to normal maize. In contrast, stearic acid content was significantly low in high oil normal maize (56 %), QPM (36.2 %) and sweet corn (28.4 %) in comparison to low oil normal maize. Although no significant differences were observed for oleic acid between low oil normal and high oil normal maize, but sweet corn samples showed significantly reduced oleic acid compared to low oil normal maize. However, the most important observation was the higher content of linoleic acid in specialty maize (groups 2, 3 and 4) as compared to low oil normal maize. Further, the ratio of MUFA/PUFA was also discussed. It was concluded that specialty maize possesses a better oil quality in comparison to low oil normal maize.