Over 600 million bushels of Iowa corn are processed annually by the corn wet milling industry. Wet milling involves soaking corn in warm water, a process called steeping. The steepwater is drawn off and the softened kernels go to degerminating mills and separators, where the germ is removed and the oil extracted. The remaining parts - starch, gluten and hulls - are ground and passed through screens for hull removal. The starch and gluten are then separated, and the starch is washed and dried to be used as starch or converted into sweeteners or ethanol.
What can you get from one bushel of corn?
| 1.6 Pounds of Corn
Oil Cooking Oil, Margarine, Mayonnaise, Salad Dressing, Shortening, Soups, Printing Ink, Soap, Leather Tanning AND 13.5 Pounds of 21% Protein
Gluten Feed AND 2.6 Pounds of 60% Gluten Meal |
AND | 32 Pounds of Starch Adhesives, Batteries, Cardboard, Crayons, Degradable Plastics, Dyes, Plywood, Paper, Antibiotics, Chewing Gum OR 33 Pounds of SweetenerShoe Polish, Soft Drinks & Juices, Jams and Jellies, Canned Fruit, Cereal, Licorice, Peanut Butter, Pickles, Catsup, Marshmallows OR 2.7 Gallons of Ethanol/AlcoholMotor Fuel Additive, Alcoholic Beverages, Industrial Alcohol |
In 2007, an acre of corn went into 3,291 hamburgers or 66, 713 bowls of corn flakes or 7,608 pork chops, or even 464 gallons of E85 fuel. In addition to food and fuel, that crop went into paper, textiles, adhesives, and more. Mulitply those numbers by the nearly 14 million acres of corn produced in Iowa and we're really talking about meeting demand!