(I read this years ago when we were having "trade" issues with South American countries who had sugar cane that could also be converted into "fuel&quot .

Pardon my limited knowledge of the process, but converting corn into "fuel" adds one more step to the process as opposed to sugar cane - making the process more expensive. They basically have to take the corn and do something to it to make it as usable as sugar cane already is.

However, because we wanted to be "energy independent" - we gave government subsidies to the industries to do the conversion - which left the "sugar cane" countries on the outside - a cheaper commodity that our gov't. was not allowing to compete.

Oh, this NAFTA/trade agreements/tariffs argument has SO many quirks - and I can't imagine how the current administration (I use the term "administration" VERY lightly) will have any clue as to how to figure it all out!

When corn whiskey is made, it is basically the natural process of adding enzymes to the "mash", generally with malted grains such as malted barley, which has alpha amylase and beta amylase enzymes.

When the mash is heated to a certain temperature (around 150 degrees I believe) the enzyme activate, and basically chop the long starch molecules into sugar molecules. The sugars can then be fermented. When the fermentation stops, and he sugars have been converted into alcohol and CO2, the alcohol can be distilled off of the fermented liquid in vapor form, which is then of course Ethanol when condensed.

Pretty simple process really.

Beer is basically fermented malted barley, and Scotch is basically distilled beer.

Ethanol from corn is distilled "corn beer" or "wine" if you will.

Ethanol, is obviously the fuel that we are discussing.

Many of us would rather it be moonshine or "corn squeezins'" than fuel! Same thing really.

It is all related.

Corn as it is, if used as is as a staple food crop, can be the source of a horrible disease called pallegra.

The process called Nixtamalization radically changes the nutritional value, and minimize the dangers from mycotoxin contaminated corn.

In over simplified terms, tortillas, tamales and other such nixtalmilized corn food products are far more nutritious and healthful, as opposed to grits, corn chips or even corn bread and other corn meal or corn products.

I have lived most of my life, not knowing these simple facts.

It was during my exploration of Mexican and other South American cuisine that I learned about it all.

An excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The ancient process of nixtamalization was first developed in Mesoamerica, where maize was originally cultivated. There is no precise date when the technology was developed, but the earliest evidence of nixtamalization is found in Guatemala's southern coast, with equipment dating from 1200–1500 BC.[3]"

There are of course other sources.