This paper is a review of available literature on Zea
mays L.ssp.ceratina. It contains information on the origin, cultivation
and utilization of waxy maize in the world and can be
a contribution to the development of new research on maize
cultivation and starch processing technology.
Maize, as an old and economically important cereal,
played an enormous role in the ancient civilisations of the New
World. Among the maize subspecies compared, Z. mays ssp.
indurata and Z. mays ssp. indentata are now the most important
in Poland. The subspecies Z. mays ssp. saccharata has
a marginal role, while Z. mays ssp. ceratina has not been hitherto
cultivated. Decisions to introduce the subspecies Z. mays
ssp. ceratina into cultivation are based on different grounds,
taking into account both agro-climatic conditions and industrial
uses of grain processing products. The growing demand
for maize grain, stimulated by the increased demand for maize
starch and oil in the global market as raw materials that are
important in food production, is an impulse for the development
of agrobiological research. The development of the starch
industry, associated with the demand for industrial starch, will
probably contribute to increased interest in this subspecies in
Central Europe, also including Poland. Waxy maize grain can
be a major ingredient of high-energy feeds for livestock, replacing
in this role the type of maize that has been grown for this
purpose until now.
A great advantage of waxy maize is its specific structure
of starch, due to its unique and high amylopectin content
(95-98%), which creates unlimited possibilities of industrial
use. Currently, waxy maize acreage in Europe does not exceed
2% of the maize crop area in this continent