Investigatation of the way the nutrients in corn are affected by cooking. In previous studies, the Cornell team found evidence that cooked fruits and vegetables retain their antioxidant benefits even though vitamin C is reduced by the cooking process. But they didn't know if the same would be true with a grain, like corn. They knew that corn contains very high levels of ferulic acid, a chemical with antioxidant compounds, and so they set out to determine how ferulic acid would respond when cooked. The team cooked loose kernels of corn for 10, 25 and 50 minutes. The results were dramatic. The amount of ferulic acid increased 240 percent in the batch cooked for 10 minutes, 550 percent in the batch cooked for 25 minutes, and 900 percent in the batch cooked for 50 minutes. The lead author of the study, Rui Hai Liu, Cornell assistant professor of food science, pointed out that ferulic acid is bound to the corn's insoluble fibers. Liu and his colleagues demonstrated that cooking releases the ferulic acid. Contrary to the accepted idea that the nutrients in food are reduced in the cooking process, in this case the valuable antioxidant qualities of corn are shown to substantially increase with longer cooking times. study from Cornell University Health Science Institute http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.