Friends who have cornfields at home may have seen some black "tumors" on their corn, which will fade when you touch them. Some people think that it is poisonous and just break off the whole corn and throw it away, but some people pick it and take it home as an ingredient, and say that it is a rare treasure and is very expensive in the market.
What is this seemingly "cancerous" thing? Can you eat it?
Corn smut.
This black lump is caused by the corn powdery mildew. Corn powdery mildew, also known as maize powdery mildew, is a fungus. After the fungus parasitizes the corn, it infects all parts of the corn by invading the host's seedlings, causing the corn at the ear stage to exhibit related symptoms. The main symptom is that the grains of corn swell, forming a tumor-like gall, which is filled with black powder, which is a common disease of corn called corn smut. A gall is a swollen growth caused by parasites, viruses, fungi or bacteria, similar to a benign tumor in an animal.
The life cycle of corn powdery mildew.
The spores of corn powdery mildew are nearly spherical or oval in shape, with tiny spines and a light brown color. Although from the appearance, the fruiting body of the black powdery mildew is a bit disgusting, like mold, and seems to be poisonous. But it is not only non-toxic, but also an excellent edible mushroom, which can be eaten in many places, such as Mexico and the northeast of our country.
In Mexico, it is called corn mushroom, and people in Europe and the United States will call it "Mexican black truffle", and Mexicans have the habit of eating corn black powder mushroom in BC. Fresh powdery mildew can often be seen at local farmers' markets, and some are added to it when making tortillas. Mexicans are very good at making the mushroom into food, and it is often used as a filling for tamales, stews, soups and burritos, and is also eaten raw.
Use corn smut mushrooms as a filling for burritos.
In the northeast of China, the fruiting body of the powdery mildew is called black rice, and it is generally used to eat the sorghum powdery mildew fungus that parasitizes on sorghum, and some areas will eat the corn powdery mildew.
In autumn, sorghum panicles are harvested and stored, and the diseased ears contain plump white sticks, which are mixed with vegetables such as potatoes, beans, zucchini, and eggplant to make stews, which are said to be very delicious. The taste of corn smut is similar to that of sorghum smut, and the way to eat it is similar.
Sorghum powdery mildew gall (Umi).
Corn powdery mildew contains a variety of mineral elements necessary for the human body, among which the highest content is potassium, reaching 5000mg kg. Potassium can maintain the acid-base balance in the body, maintain the normal osmotic pressure of the human body, and assist several enzymes in energy transport and utilization, protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism.
Moreover, the selenium content in corn black powdery mildew is very rich, reaching 023mg kg, selenium is not synthesized by the human body, must be ingested from the outside world, can prevent cardiovascular disease, anti-aging, anti-virus, anti-oxidation, regulate immunity, protect eyesight, etc.
Corn smut.
Corn powdery mildew is also rich in protein and amino acids. Depending on the variety planted, the protein content in corn powdery mildew is between 10% and 145%. Relevant studies have shown that corn powdery mildew contains 8 kinds of essential amino acids, and the proportion of amino acids is reasonable, which is in line with the ideal pattern of amino acid content given by the WHO. What's even more rare is that the lysine content in corn powdery mildew is as high as 6 percent of the total protein3%~7.3%。
In addition, the gall of corn powdery mildew contains 27%~6.5% fatty acids, modern nutrition has confirmed that a high intake of foods rich in linoleic acid in the diet can effectively reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Amino acids contained in corn powdery mildew.
The 8 monosaccharides and 8 sugar alcohols in the gall are also important bioactive substances, which can help the immune system better fight cancer, hyperlipidemia and viruses.
Researchers have also found a variety of compounds with anti-cancer effects in corn powdery mildew, such as cinnamoylphenylethylamine, which poisons leukemia cells. In previous studies, it was shown that one of the tyramines can lead to type diabetes.
In the past, farmers avoided this because it could spread to other plants and reduce corn yields. People who don't know that it has edible value will throw away the whole corn.
Corn smut was discovered in the northeast of China before 1919, and the disease spread rapidly and soon spread throughout the country. After the 50s of the 20th century, corn smut was the main disease of maize, and the disease was serious in the spring sowing areas of crops in the north, the hilly mountains in the southwest and the northwest region.
If there is 1 tumor on a single corn plant, the yield can generally be reduced by 309%, and the yield of more than 3 tumors was reduced by 812%。If the disease occurs in the stem below the ear, the average yield will be reduced by 20%, the yield will be reduced by 40% in the stem below the ear, the yield will be reduced by 60% in the case of both the upper and lower stems of the ear, and the yield will be directly reduced by 80% if the panicle is susceptible.
By 1975, the national annual yield was reduced by 32.5 billion kilograms, and the disease was brought under control only after the 80s.
Therefore, for farmers who do not have the habit of eating powdery mildew, it is a headache to be infected with smut in the corn field. The same goes for farmers in the United States.
At one time, corn smut caused about 10 percent of U.S. corn yields and damaged a lot of corn harvesting equipment. The United States and farmers have invested millions of dollars in research to try to treat the disease, and have been developing corn varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew.
Since the discovery of the edible value of the black powdery mildew, scholars in California, the United States, have also listed the corn black powdery mildew as an edible fungus. Many trendy restaurants also make powdery mildew mushrooms into dishes, and Americans, who dare not eat anything, have begun to change their attitudes and slowly accept this food.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin also found that the profit per normal corn was only a few cents, but that corn with powdery mildew could make a profit of 80 cents per corn. So the U.S. Department of Agriculture began to conduct extension trials in Florida and other states to guide farmers in the cultivation and production of corn powdery mildew.
In China, the planting and production of corn powdery mildew is still in its infancy, with the enhancement of the disease resistance of corn seeds, it can only be collected in normal corn to eat, and the quantity is very small, very rare. Therefore, the corn black powdery mildew on the market is very expensive, and it can be sold for 50 to 60 yuan per catty.
Smildew peeled from a corn plant.
If you want to develop edible powdery mildew into an industry, you can refer to the Umi industry. Because corn powdery mildew and Umi both belong to the fungus caused by the fungus of the class Melania melanomycetes, there are many similarities in the way they eat and process the product. The black rice industry has been relatively mature, and there are also professional sorghum black rice planting cooperatives in Northeast China, specializing in the production of fresh black rice. Umi can also be processed into snack foods, beverages, condiments, and more.
Although corn powdery mildew is a disease, as long as it can be used reasonably, it can turn waste into treasure, which can not only reduce farmers' losses, but even have the opportunity to increase farmers' income. If edible corn black powdery mildew fungus is popularized on a large scale in China and drives related industries, the economic benefits will be even more immeasurable.