옥수수 이삭 등숙 기간 동안 속대와 종실의 Phytosterol 함량 변화

Changes in Phytosterol Content in Cobs and Kernels During Physiological Maturity of Corn Ears

본 연구에서는 농업부산물인 옥수수 속대의 생리활성 화합물 공급원으로의 잠재적 활용 가능성을 탐색하기 위해이삭의 성숙 단계에 따른 phytosterol 함량 변화를 측정하였다. 1. 옥수수 이삭의 crude fat 함량 변이는 속대가 3 DAS에서54 DAS까지 2.51±0.06-0.33±0.04%, 종실은 9 DAS에서 54 DAS까지 1.84±0.04-4.91±0.28%로 나타났으며종실은 성숙할수록 crude fat 함량이 증가하였고 속대는반대의 경향을 나타내었다. 2. 옥수수 이삭의 등숙 기간 동안 속대와 종실에서 campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol은 주요 phytosterol로 검출되었으며, total phytosterol 함량은 속대가 3 DAS에서 54 DAS 까지 134.84±4.58-48.86±0.89 mg/100g DW, 종실은 9 DAS에서 54 DAS까지 83.15±2.74-42.12±0.08 mg/100g DW로 생리적 성숙 초기 단계에 가장 높은 함량을 보인뒤 점차적으로 감소하였다. 3. Hierarchical clustering heatmap analysis와 principal component analysis에서 옥수수 속대와 종실은 생리적 성숙 단계 및조직 부위에 따라 구분이 되었다. 옥수수 속대를 새로운phytosterol 공급원으로써 활용하기 위해 함량이 가장 풍부한 시기는 R1-R2 stage이며, 이삭 성숙 전체 단계에서속대에는 종실보다 많은 phytosterol이 존재하므로 농업부산물인 속대를 새로운 phytosterol 공급원으로 활용할수 있을 것이다.

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the world’s most important crops, along with wheat and rice, with a global corn production expected to reach 1,154.5 million tons in 2023. Considering this grain production, The generation of corn cob is expected to reach approximately 207.8 million tons in 2023. However, as an agricultural by-product, corn cobs are often considered waste and remain underutilized. Phytosterols, which are abundant in vegetable oils such as corn oil, provide a number of health benefits, including liver health, cholesterol reduction, and protection against chronic diseases such as diabetes. In this study, we investigated the potential of Kwangpyeongok ears, which are commonly used as grain and silage corn in Korea. We also examined the variation in phytosterol content with the maturity of corn ears to identify the optimal time for utilization. At the beginning of physiological maturity, corn cobs had 113.3 mg/100g DW of total phytosterols, which was highest phytosterol abundance during the growth stage. Corn kernels also had the highest phytosterol content at the beginning of physiological maturity. While previous studies on corn bioactive compounds have mainly focused on the kernels, the results of this study highlight that cobs are an excellent source of these compounds. Furthermore, phytosterol levels were influenced by genetic factors and developmental stages, suggesting the to increase the use of cobs as a source of bioactive compounds.