Nutritional composition of Zea mays L: A comprehensive Review of Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Bioactive Compounds

Résumé fourni par la source

Maize ( Zea mays L .) is a significant cereal plant, which due to its nutritious content especially dietary energy and nutrients, is globally significant or rather important. Its nutritive status does not just end with macronutrients but it stretches to cover nutrient status that promotes health-giving micronutrients and phytochemicals. This review aims to consolidate recent advancements in maize nutrient profiling and highlight current challenges in optimizing its nutritional potential across global food systems. A huge number of literature search was performed using the databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar in English published from 2010 to 2024, peer peer-reviewed articles. Search terms were “Zea mays nutrition,” “maize macronutrients,” “maize micronutrient biofortification,” and “phytochemicals in maize”. The study inclusion criteria included empirical or review data on maize nutritional quality, bioavailability, and impacts on human health. The maize is mostly carbohydrates, where the most part of them constitute starch, a considerable amount of protein as well as low levels of lipids located in the germ. Quality Protein Maize (QPM) and the biofortified varieties have an enhanced level of lysine, tryptophan and provitamin A. Maize is a source of crucial B vitamins and minerals including iron, zinc, and magnesium, yet their intake is lower because of the impediments of antinutrient compounds such as phytates. In addition, it is rich in healthy phytochemicals including ferulic acid, flavonoids and carotenoids that have antioxidant and therapeutic properties. Maize is an essential food and nutrition security crop. It is necessary to provide more genetic and agronomic efforts to increase its nutritional quality to help fight hidden hunger and lead to better health of the global population.