Is sweet corn genetically modified?

Recently, some people have been saying that sweet corn is a genetically modified product and that it is harmful to human health when consumed. It is also said that sweet corn is used as animal feed in some European countries. Are these claims true? Is sweet corn genetically modified? Today I will reveal the answer to this question.

Is sweet corn genetically modified?

1. Sweet corn is not a genetically modified product because it is bred through traditional corn breeding methods. When people were breeding the varieties, they hybridized wild corns with each other, and then screened the quality of the hybrids to get the best superior ones. This is the sweet corn that people eat.

2. Since sweet corn is a hybrid corn variety, the seeds of this corn can be used again after one year of use. They need to be re-bred. If this sweet corn is a genetically modified product, its seeds can be used continuously for many years, that is, its seeds can be sown repeatedly.

Differences between sweet corn and regular corn

Corn is composed of three parts: seed coat, endosperm and embryo. The biggest difference between sweet corn and ordinary corn is in the endosperm. Ordinary corn only contains starch in the endosperm, while sweet corn contains a large amount of polysaccharides in addition to starch. The presence of these polysaccharides is an important factor in the sweet taste of sweet corn. As for the reason why polysaccharides appear in its endosperm, scientists do not have a definite answer. It is said that it may be caused by a gene mutation when producing starch.