Sweet corn used for processing needs different quality characteristics than fresh market corn-on-the-cob. Syngenta researchers gain valuable insights into processor customer needs because they understand the challenges that occur when the crop leaves the field and enters a canning or freezing facility firsthand.
“Processors want consistency and reliability not only in the grower’s field, but while it’s in a canning and freezing facility, too,” said Ilene Jones, Syngenta Sweet Corn Breeding Team Lead. “For them, easy-to-remove husks, good flow and high recovery are priorities.”
Any ear of sweet corn that moves into processing for canning or freezing has an important journey. Through automatic machines, the ears need to have husks removed, kernels detached and cleaned, and more depending on if it will be frozen or canned.
Throughout this process, the corn needs to maintain color, taste, and texture so consumers around the world are satisfied with the now shelf-stable or frozen product. The convenience of canned and frozen is clear, and Syngenta’s dedication to preserving the quality of the crop is unmatched.
Managing Yield and Recovery in Processing Sweet Corn
Two of the biggest priorities for processors include yield and recovery. Yield is what’s collected from the field, while recovery is the weight maintained after the kernels are stripped from the ear. Maintaining at least 45% to 50% recovery is vitally important for processors.
“We process 1,200 and 1,300 plots every year looking at yield, recovery, and how the crop physically looks, feels, and tastes after it moves through our FDA-certified facility,” said Megan Cornell, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Sweet Corn Operations Lead. “All of this information feeds into our breeding funnel to help us pick the best hybrids to share with growers each season.”
Syngenta created its own sweet corn processing facility in Stanton, Minn. The Yield Accelerator building houses the equipment needed to freeze and can sweet corn the same way major processors do—just at a smaller scale.
“We’re the only company to invest in processing sweet corn to the level we have,” explained Glenn McKay, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Product Specialist, U.S. Processor. “We created a miniature sweet corn processing facility that mimics what large processors around the world do. This means we understand the challenges they face and can use this information to select the best genetics for the processing market.”
Syngenta is the only vegetable seed company investing in understanding processor concerns, and it’s an investment that will continue because these challenges are best understood by practice—actually processing and testing the sweet corn in freezing and canning.
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