Nutraceutical potential of maize (Zea mays L.) (corn) lab-scale wet milling by- products in terms of β-sitosterol in fiber, gamma-tocopherol in germ, and lutein & zeaxanthin in gluten

The nutraceutical potential of lab-scale corn wet milling by-products, mainly corn germ, fiber, and gluten, has not been examined keenly in the past. A simplified lab-scale wet milling method was used to fractionate corn into its by-products namely germ, fiber and gluten. They were subject to extraction and characterization of nutraceuticals in comparison to the feed corn kernels. Carotenoids, tocopherols, and tocotrienols were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography, while the phytosterols were characterized by gas chromatography. γ-tocopherol was high in corn germ compared to fiber, gluten and feed corn kernels. Corn fiber revealed higher β-sitosterol content, than that of feed corn kernels, germ and gluten. Further, corn gluten showed high lutein and zeaxanthin content than that of the feed corn kernels, fiber and germ. Phytosterols, carotenoids, and tocols are hypo-cholesterolemic, eye-protective, and anti-oxidative respectively, in nature. This study demonstrates the significance of corn wet milling by-products and the need for valorization in generating nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients.