JOINALOFAGRICDLTIMIESEARCH 



Vol. XVII Washington, D. C, July 15, 1919 No. 4 



CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN GREEN SWEET CORN 

 DURING STORAGE AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES 



By Charles O. Appleman, Plant Physiologist, and John M. Arthur, Assista7it 

 Plant Physiologist, Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Maryland Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Statio)i. ^ 



THE PROBLEM 



The present paper deals with the character and kinetics of the processes 

 involved in the rapid depletion of sugar in green sweet com after it is 

 separated from the stalk and more particularly with the relative rates of 

 these processes at different storage temperatures, accurately controlled. 



WORK OF PREVIOUvS INVESTIGATORS 



In the course of an extensive sweet corn investigation, Straughn^ 

 clearly shows that the loss of total sugars from green sweet corn i<=- very 

 rapid during the first 24 hours of storage at ordinary summer temper- 

 atures. Working with Sto well's Evergreen, he claims that about one- 

 third of the total sugars disappeared during the first 24 hours oi storage 

 at a room temperature of about 25° C. A further loss occurred during 

 the next 24 hours, but when the sugars reached 1.80 per cent no further 

 loss was noted. This rate of sugar loss for the first 24 hours of storage 

 at one uncontrolled temperature must be considered as merely an approx- 

 imation, since analyses of different ears before and after storage were 

 compared. The percentage of sugar in the different ears at the time of 

 picking showed considerable variation. In the same paper it is con- 

 cluded that there is no material advantage to be gained by storing the 

 corn in a refrigerator. It should be noted, however, that the refrigerator 

 showed a temperature of 23.5° C. during the first 24 hours and there- 

 after 17° C. 



In a later paper by Straughn and Church ^ results are reported showing 

 the change in the sugar content of green corn after a period of 36 hours' 

 storage at room temperature. The data furnish very little additional 

 information on this problem, as the experimental corn was secured upon 

 the open market and the sugar loss in this com had nearly ceased before 



1 The curves in figures i and 2 were drawn by John Paul Jones, of this laboratory. 



2 Straughn', M. N. sweet corn investigations. Md. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 120, p. 37-7S. 1907. 

 'Str.\ughn, M. N., and Church, C. G. the influence of environment on the composition op 



SWEET corn, 1905-1908. U. S. Dept. of Agr. Bur. Chem. Bui. 127, 69 p, 11 fig. 1909. 



Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. XVII, No. 4 



Washington. D. C. July 15, igig 



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