<p style="text-align: justify;">Maize (Zea mays L), otherwise known as corn, is the world&rsquo;s third leading cereal crop, behind wheat and rice, and is grown in over 25 countries worldwide. The majority of grain and forage derived from maize is used as animal feed, however maize also has a long history of safe use as food for human consumption. The grain can be processed into industrial products such as ethanol (by fermentation), and highly refined starch (by wetmilling) and sweetener products. In addition to milling, the maize germ can be processed to obtain corn oil and numerous other products.<br />
The majority of maize is grown for animal feed production and human food, however an increasing percentage is being used for the production of ethanol as a biofuel alternative to petroleum products from fossil sources. The hydrolysis of the large starch molecules in maize kernels is the first step in ethanol production from maize and the themostable alpha-amylase in Event 3272 is intended to increase the efficiency of this process by operating at high temperatures.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Maize line 3272 has been genetically modified to express a thermostable alpha-amylase enzyme (AMY797E) for use in dry-grind fuel ethanol production in the United States. Amylase is used to hydrolyse starch into smaller sugar subunits, which is the first step in producing ethanol from plants. Amylases used for ethanol production need to be able to work at high temperatures and low calcium concentrations. Plants such as maize naturally contain amylases, however these are destroyed when corn is subjected to the high processing temperatures necessary for ethanol production, making it necessary to add microbially-produced amylase preparations. The use of Event 3272, expressing a highly thermostable amylase, bypasses this step.</p>
