END-USE QUALITY OF SOME AFRICAN CORN KERNELS .1. PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF KERNELS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFIN, A TRADITIONAL WHOLE DRY-MILLED MAIZE FLOUR FROM BENIN

The physicochemical characteristics of eight samples of lifin, a tradi tional maize market flour of Benin, were determined. They had very sim ilar proximate composition and a median particle size (PSm) under 200 mu m; four, having a PSm under 180 mu m, can be considered as fine or very fine and should be preferred by consumers. The grains of twenty-o ne maize cultivars of Benin including local ecotypes (5) and new culti vars (16) were physicochemically characterized and were tested for the ir ability to give fine whole grain flours. The five local ecotypes pr esented common traits such as high friability, low vitreousness, and d ent kernel percentage giving relatively fine flours with low damaged s tarch content. On the contrary, most new cultivars had vitreous and ha rd grains and half gave very coarse flours with PSm over 200 mu m. The more friable the grain was, the finer the whole grain flour it gave a nd the lower damaged starch it contained.