waxy corn

{{Short description|Type of field corn}}

{{Infobox cultivar

| name = Waxy corn

| image =9698Cuisine foods in Bulacan 55.jpg

| image_caption = Lagkitan corn, an heirloom waxy corn cultivar from the Philippines

| species = Zea mays L. var. ceratina

| origin = Southeast Asia, East Asia

}}

Waxy corn or glutinous corn is a type of corn characterized by its sticky texture when cooked. It has big round kernels that have endosperms that are almost universally white, though the aleurone layers can sometimes be purple or red which cause some cultivars to be multi-colored or even deep purple to black.{{cite book |last1=Brewbaker |first1=James L. |last2=Martin |first2=Ian |editor1-last=Janick |editor1-first=Jules |title=Plant breeding reviews: Volume 39 |date=2015 |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |location=Hoboken, NJ |isbn=9781119107712 |page=133 |chapter=Breeding Tropical Vegetable Corns}}

Waxy corn is absent in the Americas and is believed to have originated from a single chromosomal mutation soon after the introduction of corn to Asia from the Americas. They include a large number of genetically diverse cultivars from various countries that have adapted to a wide range of tropical to temperate environments. It is common throughout Southeast Asia (the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar) and East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea){{cite journal |last1=Saikaew |first1=Kawinchaya |last2=Lertrat |first2=Kamol |last3=Meenune |first3=Mutita |last4=Tangwongchai |first4=Ratchada |title=Effect of high-pressure processing on colour, phytochemical contents and antioxidant activities of purple waxy corn ( Zea mays L. var. ceratina ) kernels |journal=Food Chemistry |date=March 2018 |volume=243 |pages=328–337 |doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.09.136}}{{cite journal |last1=Bon |first1=Sancho G. |last2=Huelgas |first2=Visitacion C. |last3=Beltran |first3=Arn Kristina M. |title=Prevalence, Provenance Distribution and Variation in The Variety Names of Philippine Traditional Corn Germplasm |journal=Philippine Journal of Crop Sciences (PCJS) |date= December 2022 |volume=47 |issue=3pages=49-59 |url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20230192007}}{{cite journal |last1=Pangestu |first1=Dimas Agung |last2=Sutjahjo |first2=Surjono Hadi |last3=Ritonga |first3=Arya Widura |title=Genetic and morphological diversity of various corn lines for the determination of waxy corn (Zea mays var. ceratina) parents |journal=Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity |date=6 November 2023 |volume=24 |issue=10 |doi=10.13057/biodiv/d241046}}

The stickiness of waxy corn cultivars is the result of the presence of larger amounts of amylopectin starch in contrast to regular corn (which has larger amounts of amylose starch).