Sweet corn at Wylam, Northumberland
Sweet corn (Zea mays’ convar. saccharata var. rugosa; also called sugar corn and pole corn) is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel. Unlike field corn varieties grown for animal fodder, which are harvested when the kernels are dry and mature (dent stage), sweet corn is picked when immature (milk stage) and prepared and eaten as a vegetable, rather than a grain. Since the process of maturation involves converting sugar to starch, sweet corn stores poorly and must be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, before the kernels become tough and starchy.
It is one of the six major types of corn, the others being dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, and flour corn.