Maize

Benefits of Maize

Maize (scientific name: Zea Mays) is also known as corn. Considering it is the most widely cultivated grain. A large percentage of people consider it to be a breakfast cereal. It is rich in vitamins A, C and E, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, essential minerals, and it also contains some percent of protein. The crop is used for both food and non-food products.  There are a number of different species but the ones which the most amount of utilization are the white and yellow ones which TBT currently trades in.

Nigeria, which is the trading base of TBT is the largest producer of maize in Africa with a production of nearly 8 million tons. Maize requires a balance of sunshine and rainfall to grow, it grows best in May/June in Northern Nigeria and March/April in Southern Nigeria and also in July/August. In these areas, storage of grains can be accomplished without much damage from the pests. It takes about 3-4 months from the time of cultivation for them to be harvested.

Food: Globally, it is a staple crop: In developed countries, maize is consumed mainly as second-cycle produce, in the form of meat, eggs and dairy products. In developing countries, maize is consumed directly and serves as staple diet for a large percentage of people. Depending on the region, being a staple food is processed and used in preparing a wide range of meals: porridge, fried, baked, roasted, boiled and popped into popcorn which is a popular snack all across the world.

Livestock Fodder: Due to its nutritional value and fibre content it has become a major part of livestock feed. Cows, poultry, fish all eat maize.  In addition, considerable amounts of the by-products from corn processing, e.g. DDGS as a by-product of corn ethanol, are used in the animal-feed industry.  Also, it is used in making environmental friendly cat litter.

Bio-Fuel: at TBT we care about sustainable practices and trying to make the world a better place, a section of our target market are those that use corn as a raw material for the production of ethanol due to the demand of biofuel as a renewable energy source. Maize is at the forefront of the green revolution with byproducts like compostable containers and biofuel.

Industrial Product: A raw material for use in several thousand industrial products. ‘Corn starch’ is used in the textile, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Pulp for paper and similar products is made from the cobs and stalks. A by-product of this process is furfural, a valuable source material for the chemical industry. In a processed form it is also found as starch. Starch in turn involves enzymatic conversion into products such as sorbitol, dextrine, sorbic and lactic acid, and appears in household items such as beer, ice cream, syrup, shoe polish, glue, fireworks, ink, batteries, mustard, cosmetics, aspirin and paint.

Interested companies will include those involved in the production of cereals, and other food products; companies that supply animal feed,; companies interested in sustainable practice of production of bio-fuels, companies that use corn as an ingredient for food additives and those that process it into other forms termed as industrial products.