Glossary C

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the reaction. It lowers the activation energy for a chemical reaction by providing an alternate pathway for the reaction. Proteins that act as catalysts in cell metabolism are called enzymes.

Corn (Maize)

An ear of corn contains from two to four hundred grains, and is from six to ten inches in length. They are of various colors: blue, red, white and yellow. Corn makes an excellent flour, of which it yields much more, with much less bran, than does wheat. The most important types of core are the following: ^{Wiki n.p.}

Flour corn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays (Amylacea Group)
Popcorn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays (Everta Group)
Dent corn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays (Indentata Group)
Flint corn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays (Indurata Group)
Sweetcorn - Zea mays L. subsp. mays (Saccharata Group)
Pod corn - Zea mays L. var. tunicata Larrañaga ex A. St. Hil

Corn can be prepared as hominy, in which the kernels are bleached with lye. Grits are coarsely ground corn. These are commonly eaten in U.S. Southern States, having been handed down from Amerindians. A common cereal food made from corn are corn flakes. The flour of corn is used to make cornbread and Mexican tortillas. Corn is an important animal food (fodder) for livestock. ^{Wiki n.p.}

About 1/2 of all the world's corn is grown in the U.S. where it is an important export. Before about World War II, most corn was harvested by hand. Some one- and two-row mechanical pickers were in use, but the corn combine did not get adopted until after the War. The corn combine with a corn head (with points and snap rolls instead of a reel) cuts the stalks near the base and then separates the ears of corn from the stalk so that only the ears and husks enter the machinery. The combine separates the husk and the cob, keeping only the kernels. ^{Wiki n.p.}

The primary uses for corn in the U.S. are the production of sweeteners like corn syrup, as a feed for livestock, and the production of ethanol. Ethanol, an alcohol, is mostly used as an additive in gasoline to increase the octane rating. Human consumption of corn and corn meal constitute only a very small percentage of corn production. ^{Wiki n.p.}

Cotton

Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant . The fiber is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. After the wax, protein, etc. are removed, the remainder is a natural polymer of pure cellulose, the fibers of which are arranged in a way that gives cotton strength, durability, and absorbency. Each fiber is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll (seed case) is opened, the fibers dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn. ^{Wiki n.p.}

In addition to its use in cloth, cotton is used in fishnets, coffee filters, tents and in bookbinding. The first Chinese paper was made of cotton fibers. Denim, a type of durable cloth, is made mostly of cotton, as are T-shirts. The cottonseed that remains after the cotton is "ginned", which is the process of removing the seeds in a cotton gin (= engine), is used to produce cottonseed oil, which after refining can be consumed by humans like any other vegetable oil. It is also used to make drugs, cosmetics and plastics. The remaining cottonseed meal is fed to livestock. ^{Wiki n.p.}

Cotton requires a tropical or subtropical climate to grow. About 80% of cotton is grown in 70 countries outside the U.S. in 39 species. Cotton textiles have been carbon-dated to 3600 BCE in Chile. Its The species planted in what would become the U.S.A. arrived from the Caribbean where it was grown by Indians and Spaniards. Before the Revolutionary War, which ended officially in 1783, the southern U.S. states had several profitable crops with large export markets: tobacco, rice, cotton, and indigo. However, after the war, the foreign demand for tobacco and indigo was curtailed and cotton became the prime agricultural crop in those states. The preference of cotton over wool and linen, its more easily mechanized spinning and weaving methods, and its lowered cleaning costs caused by the invention of the cotton gin and the use of slaves, caused its farming to spread westward to the new southern states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. Cotton then became the cash crop for large plantation owners.