Waxy corn

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/waxy-corn

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Zea mays var. ceratina
2. What is the primary geographic origin?Asia (post-domestication mutation)
3. What makes waxy corn stickier than regular corn?Waxy corn has almost no amylose and almost all amylopectin, which forms many branches that hold water and make the corn sticky when cooked.
4. Where did waxy corn come from?It started in Asia after a single mutation happened to maize that was brought from the Americas; the mutation changed the starch genes.

Chromosomal Mutation: A permanent alteration in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene or chromosome.
Amylose vs. Amylopectin: Two types of starch polymers; amylose is linear, amylopectin is branched, affecting texture.
Rheological Properties: The study of the flow of matter, particularly liquids and soft solids, under stress.