What is Waxy Corn and Why do Some Corn Producers Grow It?

September 17, 2025

Waxy corn is a special corn type bred to contain nearly 100% amylopectin and no amylose starch.1 This gives waxy corn unique functionality in food and industrial applications. In the food industry, waxy corn starch is prized for its clarity, stability, and smooth texture. It is used in pie fillings, frozen foods, salad dressings, and instant puddings, where freeze-thaw stability is needed.


Outside of food, waxy corn starch is used in papermaking to enhance surface strength and printing quality and in textiles. It is also used in pharmaceuticals as a binder or disintegrant due to its rapid hydration.


In ethanol production, waxy corn offers advantages over conventional dent corn. Its high amylopectin content allows for quicker enzymatic hydrolysis, more complete starch conversion, and improved fermentation efficiency.2 This makes waxy corn attractive for high-efficiency ethanol plants.


Waxy corn makes up a very small percentage (about 1.5%) of total US corn acreage.1 It is usually grown under contract with specific end-users. Waxy corn is often cultivated near wet milling facilities or specialty grain buyers who can handle identity-preserved grain.


Waxy corn products often come from the same elite genetic backgrounds as dent corn, so their height, leaf shape, ear size, and tassel appearance are virtually identical. Most waxy corn products are yellow and look almost indistinguishable from yellow dent corn in color and shape. When the kernel is cut open, waxy corn kernels have a smooth, wax-like appearance inside (hence the name). Dent corn shows a mixture of hard and soft starch that creates a characteristic "dent" on the top of the kernel as it dries.


A little more detail on corn starch:

  • Corn starch is made of two primary polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin.
  • Amylose typically makes up about 25 to 30% of normal corn starch.3 Its tightly packed structure leads to firmer gels and slower digestion, which is useful in food products requiring structure, like puddings or gels. Amylose also slows the enzymatic breakdown of starch, which affects processes like ethanol production.
  • Amylopectin, on the other hand, makes up much of the starch (70 to 75%) in typical corn products.3 It dissolves more readily in water and is more rapidly digested, making it ideal for processed foods, adhesives, and some paper coatings. In industrial fermentation, amylopectin breaks down more efficiently, which is key for rapid sugar conversion.

Two Channel® brand waxy corn products are 205-10WX Brand and 212-12WX Brand. Please contact your local Channel® SeedPro for more information on product options in the waxy corn market.


Sources
1Schwartz, D. and Whistler, R.L. 2009. History and future of starch. Chapter 1. Starch, Chemistry and Technology. A volume in Food Science and Technology. 3rd edition.

2Yangcheng, H., Jiang, H., Blanco, M., and Jane, J.L. 2013. Characterization of normal and waxy corn starch for bioethanol production. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. National Library of Medicine. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf305100n

3Yu, J.-K. and Moon, Y.-S. 2021. Corn starch: Quality and quantity improvement for industrial uses. Plants (Basel), 11(1):92. National Library of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010092


Channel Agronomist
Todd Vagts


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