CORN PRODUCTS
1998 Corn Utilization Conference
St. Louis, Missouri. June 1-3, 1998
by Brian Doidge, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph

This year marked the successful inaugural session amalgamating the U.S. National Corn Growers Association’s annual Corn Utilization conference and the U.S. Corn Refiners Association Inc.’s annual Corn Refiners Technology conference. A great deal of the information presented is of interest to the Ontario corn industry.

One theme prominent throughout was the mind-boggling pace of innovation in corn utilization opportunities, processing technology, new products and corn physiological development, all spawned by biotechnology. The ability to genetically tailor the corn plant – in particular, the corn kernel – to suit specific process and end-product requirements has opened a myriad of possibilities.

Although potential returns are large for genetic modifications that enhance foods, presenters agreed that the “political hurdles” in this sector are huge, especially since the major players (Monsanto, DuPont, AgrEvo, Novartis, Dow, etc.) are chemical giants already viewed by some quarters in a less than favourable light. Because of the huge investment required in genetic engineering, conference presentations were virtually unanimous in suggesting transgenics are concentrating first on industrial materials and usages where the potential returns far out-distance returns possible from production agriculture. The value of genetic traits was expressed this way:

For example, U.S. ethylene/propylene usage (industrial chemicals already feasibly made from corn glucose and requiring relatively less biotech investment to achieve commercially viable production) alone is worth $5 billion or the equivalent value of genetic engineering for herbicide tolerance in corn which requires relatively much larger investment in time and money. The point is that the major players (all chemical companies) are concerned about profitability and returns and therefore concentrating on industrial biochemical innovation. Dr. Steve Eckhoff, University of Illinois, summarized using this example: food containing corn is worth about 10 cents a pound; pharmaceuticals made from corn are worth $10 - $1,000 a pound. Where would you invest?

A highlight of the conference focus on biotechnology – and emphasizing the scale of the investment and commitment required – was a tour of Monsanto’s Life Sciences Research Centre in Chesterville, Missouri. Built on 20 acres of land in 1984 for $150 million (it would cost $1 billion to build today), the facility is one of 20 such Monsanto research centres in the world. It houses 2,400 employees including 1,000 research scientists. The facilities are impressive to say the least: two acres under glass on the roof; 75 tons of soil processed annually for potting out plants; 250 growth chambers...more than in all the U.S. land grant universities combined. This is the research centre that developed YieldGard corn (corn borer-resistant Bt-hybrids), Bollgard cotton (bollworm-resistance), NewLeaf potatoes (Colorado potato beetle-resistance), and Roundup Ready corn, cotton, soybeans, and canola (Roundup tolerant). However, as impressive as the facility certainly is, it did not produce its first commercial biotech results until 1995!

Several presentations dealt with progress in the corn genome project. It’s an initiative dedicated to mapping of the entire genetic makeup of the corn plant – understanding genetic inter-relationships, and genetic control of physiological expression. Peter Mascia of Cargill Hybrid Seeds stated simply that the corn genome is within our grasp. Pioneer/DuPont have more than 250,000 expressed DNA sequences of corn; Monsanto has a similar number. The race to understand and own large chunks of the corn genome is well underway. Efforts are focusing on gene expression and function. He also suggested that because of rapid advancement in electronic data management, product development cycle time has been significantly reduced. He foresees that before very long, the U.S. corn belt will:

• grow faster in the spring to provide more canopy by June 21 when the most sunlight of highest quality occurs resulting in more photosynthesis;
• flower earlier in the season, as better adaptation to longer days is attained;
• perform better over a greater north-south distance resulting in fewer maturity zones;
• suffer less from late planting;
• be more drought tolerant, and have a longer filling period and better disease tolerance;
• tolerate cooler nights in the fall and even light frosts; and
• use more of the growing season at a given latitude.

In general, corn will be better adapted and consistently higher yielding...genetic traits that certainly sound very attractive for Ontario corn producers of the near future.