DEEP PROCESSING OF CORN: CURRENT STATE, MAIN DIRECTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS IN UKRAINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32636/agroscience.2026-(5)-3-1Keywords:
corn, deep processing, starch, starch products, glucose-fructose syrups, bioethanol, biopolymers, bioeconomy, value added, agro-industrial complexAbstract
The article systematizes modern scientific approaches to deep processing of corn as a strategic direction for increasing the efficiency of grain raw material utilization and producing high value-added products. The role of corn in the raw material supply of the food, starch-processing, biotechnological, bioenergy, and chemical industries is generalized. The main directions of deep corn processing are characterized, including the production of starch, modified starches, molasses, maltodextrins, glucose-fructose syrups, bioethanol, biopolymers, organic acids, and related products of integrated raw material utilization.
Technological features of wet milling, enzymatic hydrolysis, isomerization, and bioconversion of by-products are revealed. Economic and environmental aspects of the transition from grain export to the production of deep-processing products are highlighted. It is substantiated that the development of this segment is an important prerequisite for diversification of agricultural exports, reduction of the raw-material orientation of foreign trade, increase in the competitiveness of the agro-industrial complex, and formation of a bio-based economy.
It was established that for Ukraine the expansion of deep corn processing requires intensification of investment activity, modernization of production infrastructure, development of industrial clusters, improvement of the regulatory environment, stimulation of domestic demand for bioproducts, and implementation of the principles of integrated raw material utilization
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