A corncob, also called corn cob, cob of corn or corn on the cob, is the central core of an

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

of corn (also known as

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

). It is the part of the ear on which the

kernels Kernel may refer to: Computing * Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems * Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution * Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming * Kernel method, in machine learnin ...

grow. The ear is also considered a "cob" or "pole" but it is not fully a "pole" until the ear is shucked, or removed from the plant material around the ear. Young ears, also called

baby corn An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

, can be consumed raw, but as the plant matures the cob becomes tougher until only the kernels are edible. When harvesting corn, the corncob may be collected as part of the ear (necessary for corn on the cob), or instead may be left as part of the corn stover in the field. The innermost part of the cob is white and has a consistency similar to foam plastic.

Uses

Corncobs find use in the following applications: * Industrial source of the chemical furfural * Fiber in fodder for

ruminant Ruminants (suborder Ruminantia) are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The ...

livestock (despite low nutritional value) Other applications include: * Bedding for animals – cobs absorb moisture and provide a compliant surface * Ground up and washed (then re-dried) to make cat litter * A mild abrasive for cleaning building surfaces, when coarsely ground * Corncob-pipe

Raw material for bowls of

corncob pipe A tobacco pipe, often called simply a pipe, is a device specifically made to smoke tobacco. It comprises a chamber (the bowl) for the tobacco from which a thin hollow stem (shank) emerges, ending in a mouthpiece. Pipes can range from very simp ...

s * As a biofuel * Charcoal production * Environmentally-friendly rodenticide ( powdered corn cob) * Soil conditioner, water retainer in horticulture * Absorbent media for safe disposal of liquid and solid effluents * Diluent/carrier/filler material in animal health products, agro-chemicals, veterinary formulations, vitamin premixes, pharmaceuticals, etc. * Xylose – a sweetener * Anal hygiene

References

External links

Making charcoal from corncobs
Maize {{agri-stub