More Nutritious, Orange, Non-GMO Corn Launched on U.S. Market

NutraMaize, a startup associated with Purdue University, has released a non-GMO variety of orange corn that carries a higher nutritional profile than other varieties.

Torbert Rocheford, the Patterson Endowed Chair in Translational Genomics for Crop Improvement in the Purdue College of Agriculture's Department of Agronomy, employed biofortification - a natural process that resulted in corn that has higher concentrations of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, making it a deep orange color.

Because it is meant to be processed into cornmeal, grits, and polenta, and used to make a variety of popular foods including tortillas, cereals, and chips, this variety of corn will enable consumers to raise their consumption of beneficial antioxidants without changing their diet.

The project was part of HarvestPlus - a humanitarian effort to enhance nutrition on developing countries, however the superior taste and nutritional profile sparked high demand in the U.S. as well. In response, Rocheford and his son Evan created NutraMaize as a way to commercial the corn in the U.S. under the brand name “Professor Torbert’s Orange Corn”.

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