Dent Corn vs. Sweet Corn Seeds

Kinds of Corn

• Corn is usually divided into four categories: dent corn, flint corn, sweet corn and popcorn. Each has a different shaped seed. Dent corn has large, flat kernels with a characteristic dent at the top of each kernel. Flint corn can have a round top or a pointed top to each medium-size kernel. The profile of flint kernels can be round, flat or irregularly shaped. Sweet corn has a rounded top to its medium-size, juicy kernels. Popcorn kernels tend to smaller and harder than the other three kernels and have a round profile.

Dent Corn

• Dent corn gets it dent from its endosperm. In dent corn kernels, the central floury endosperm is surrounded by a second flinty endosperm. The two dry at different rates causing the inner endosperm to pull the outer endosperm inward as the kernel dries. Dent corn has a tough outer husk that people can't digest and that doesn't soften even after extended cooking. The inner layers, however, grind easily to a powder.

Sweet Corn

• Sweet corn comes from a mutation of dent corn. The mutant gene affects the endosperm of the corn, causing it to accumulate roughly double the amount of sugar. From that one kind of mutant corn, several hundred varieties have been bred. These sweet corn varieties have been bred to have a tender skin instead of dent corn's tough outer layer. Sweet corn varieties are juicier and less starchy than dent corn. And they retain their sweetness longer after having been picked. Unlike dent corn, sweet corn is usually eaten when it is immature, that is to say before the kernels have had a chance to dry.

Uses

• Sweet corn is used primarily as a vegetable. Because it is juicier than dent corn, it tends to mold before drying, making it a poor choice for corn flour or cornmeal. Dent corn is used primarily for industrial uses -- as cattle feed and as a source of carbohydrates that can be converted to sugar and alcohol. But not all dent corn is industrial corn. We have dent varieties of both heirloom and Indian corn. These varieties are used to make cornmeal and corn flour. They are also cooked in lime in a process called nixtamalization. The process removes the tough outer coating, resulting in corn that can be eaten as hominy or can be ground to make tortillas or tamales.