Although a kernel of corn appears to be a pretty simple seed, it’s actually chock full of hundreds of different uses.

It can be found in paper, cosmetics, blankets, adhesives, batteries, gift cards, carpet, crayons and shampoo. Not to mention toothpaste, peanut butter, instant tea, pudding, cereal and hundreds of other food products. The list goes on and on.

“The simple looking corn kernel really isn’t simple at all,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, ag promotion coordinator for the Nebraska Corn Board. “It just took a while to understand all of its capabilities—-and we’re still learning.”

The hottest and fastest-growing trend in corn-based products are items made from corn-based plastic and fibers. Both come from a polymer made from glucose (sugar) that comes from cornstarch.

“It is hard to believe that the polymer—a little plastic-looking bead—can be turned into a soft blanket, stain-resistant carpet or a deli container, but it is,” Brunkhorst said. “Manufacturers are continuously looking for new uses for corn-based polymers because they are environmentally friendly and a great replacement for petroleum-based products.”

Brunkhorst cited a recent article about bio-plastics printed on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as further evidence of the growing interest in renewable chemicals. In the article, a top official of Cargill calls bio-plastics “the emerging business opportunity of this company”. Cargill owns the Natureworks processing facility near Blair, NE, which produces much of the corn-based PLA being used in the bio-plastics and fibers manufacturing process.

To highlight these and all the other uses for corn, the Nebraska Corn Board recently published a New Uses Brochure. “This colorful brochure is a great way to learn about all the different uses for corn. It explains, in simple terms, how we go from a corn kernel to a plastic gift card or blanket,” Brunkhorst said.

The brochure is available as a PDF file under the “Publications” tab on the Nebraska Corn Board’s website or in print by contacting the Nebraska Corn Board. Brunkhorst said the brochure will be used at events and meetings, and is a good educational tool for school-aged children.

“We’re excited to have this new resource that shows how useful corn has become in our everyday lives,” Brunkhorst said. “Corn really is everywhere.”

The Nebraska Corn Board collects and disburses the funds generated by the 1/4 of a cent per bushel corn checkoff. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

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