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Purple corn has been extensively used as a staple food and a natural coloring dye. Recently, anthocyanins have been studied and reported to have anti-mutagenic, anti-microbial and anti-carcinogenic properties. There are very few purple plants to be found in nature, and if you are to eat a true rainbow diet, our purple corn kernels are a helpful and tasty addition.
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Organic raw Purple Corn Kernels:
Organic Purple Corn Kernels are rich in phenolics and anthocyanins, and has just about the highest antioxidant content of any food - even more than blueberries! Our Organic Purple Corn is an ancient variety grown in a pristine Peruvian valley. The kernels are perfect for creating tortilla flour or purple corn bread, and they can be soaked to make a high-anti-oxidant drink called chicha morada.
Click here for Nutrition Facts
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Certified Organic by Indiana Certified Organic
Certified Kosher by Chicago Rabbinical Council
Certified Vegan by Vegan Action
Raw, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free
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Why Raw Purple Corn Kernels:
Purple corn, a variety of Zea mays, is an Andean crop from low valleys locally called maiz morado. Purple corn can be found mostly in Peru, where it is cultivated in the coast, as well as in lands almost ten thousand feet high. There are different varieties of purple corn, and all of them originated from an ancestral line called “Kculli”, still cultivated in Peru. The Kculli line is very old, and ancient objects in the shape of these particular ears of corn have been found in archeological sites at least 2,500 years old in places in the central coast, as well as among the ceramics of the “Mochica” culture.
Our purple corn has been grown in South America for generations. This is an heirloom variety that has not been hybridized or crossed with any other varieties. The farm that grows our corn is very isolated in the Atacama Desert. There is virtually no chance of cross pollination since there isn’t any other agriculture in the area.
Purple corn contains substantial amounts of phenolics and anthocyanins, among other phytochemicals. Its main colorant is cianidin-3-b-glucosa.
People of the Andes make a refreshing drink from purple corn called "chicha morada" which is now recognized as a nutritive powerhouse due to its phenolic content. Phenolics are known to have many bioactive and functional properties. Research shows that crops with the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin content also have the highest antioxidant activity.
Anthocyaninins are a type of complex flavonoid that produce blue, purple or red colors. Anthocyaninins encourage connective tissue regeneration and are anti-inflammatory. They promote blood flow and reduce cholesterol, in addition to being antioxidants. Anthocyaninins seem to stabilize and protect capillaries from oxidative damage and have been shown to stabilize connective tissue, promote collagen formation, improve microcirculation and help protect blood vessels from oxidative damage.
Purple Corn has higher antioxidant capacity and antiradical kinetics than blueberries and higher or similar anthocyanin and phenolic contents.
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