Chemical & Engineering News Partnership Highlights the Versatility of Corn as an Industrial Feedstock

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is partnering with Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) to underscore the many uses of corn, including opportunities in plant-based packaging, chemicals, and nutraceuticals. The Market Development Action Team funded this effort.

“This is a way for us to enter into a conversation with an audience we don’t get to engage with on a day-to-day basis,” said Market Development Action Team Chair and Nebraska farmer Dan Wesely. “This is one of the many efforts we have in the new uses space. Being able to share corn’s story, that we are an abundant, affordable, sustainably grown and versatile crop with this audience is important to future corn demand.”

C&EN subscribers will test their knowledge on corn production and uses by taking a quiz with questions ranging from “How much corn does the U.S. produce each year?” to “Which organic acid produced from corn is used in shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals?”

An infographic showcases how corn is utilized in several ingredients in packaging and dietary supplements.

“This platform helps us open the door for researchers and scientists to learn that corn can be used for everything for everybody from food, fuel, fiber, and chemicals,” said Iowa Corn Growers Association Industrial Innovation Manager, Dr. Alex Buck. “For many fermentation chemicals, you can use any sugar, and this will be an opportunity for scientists to realize that corn is an economical and commercially-available feedstock they could use as a feedstock in their research.  Researchers need to know corn is already an industrial chemical feedstock.”

You can test your knowledge by taking the quiz here and view the infographic here.

Chemical & Engineering News has been published by the American Chemical Society since 1923. It is a weekly print and digital publication, with a subscription base made up of individuals involved in chemistry and related fields. You can learn more about C&EN here.