Corn meal
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Milled from maize.
Naturally gluten-free, though it is often milled alongside wheat.
Maize is a starchy grain.
Corn is low FODMAP in ordinary portions.
Fine for most people at normal amounts.
Rules by country
Corn meal is a food and carries no E-number. In the United States the standard of identity for corn meal, including the particle size and whether it is degerminated, is set by regulation, and the nixtamalized flour used for tortillas has its own standard.
What is it?
There are two quite different products. Dry corn meal is ground dried maize and it is what polenta, cornbread and cornmeal porridge are made from. Masa harina is made through nixtamalization: the maize is soaked in an alkaline solution of lime, which loosens the hull, releases the niacin and makes the flour bind together into dough. Without that step, the niacin in maize is bound up and not available to the body.
Where it comes from: Ground dried maize. Corn meal for bread and tortillas is made with lime through a wet milling process called nixtamalization, which is what gives it its characteristic smell and lets the body use its niacin.
Why it’s in food
- Tortillas
- Polenta
- Cornbread
- Frying batter
- Breakfast cereal
Often found in
Also listed as: Corn meal, Cornmeal, Masa harina, Yellow cornmeal, Coarse ground corn, Maize meal
Health & gut impact
Nixtamalisation makes the niacin in maize available to the body, which is why a population that eats maize as a staple through nixtamalized flour has never had the pellagra that maize diets used to cause. Corn meal that has not been treated this way does not have that benefit.
FAO, maize and niacin biofortification programs
Corn meal is a starchy food with a glycaemic index in the same range as other milled grains. The nixtamalized flour used for tortillas has a lower index than the dry-ground meal, partly because of the alkali treatment.
EFSA, scientific opinion on the effects of the processing of maize on the glycaemic response
Maize is naturally gluten-free, but mills that also process wheat leave residue, and cornmeal is frequently milled in the same plant. Anyone with celiac disease is advised to look for a certified gluten-free product.
US FDA, food labeling guide for wheat and gluten
What can I use instead?
Related
More flour treatment agents:
Common questions
Is corn meal gluten-free?
The grain is, but a lot of corn meal is milled in plants that also process wheat, so it is not automatically gluten-free. A certified gluten-free cornmeal is the one to buy for celiac disease.
What is the difference between corn meal and corn flour?
The particle size. Corn meal is coarsely ground and keeps some of the bran, while corn flour, also called corn starch in the United States, is the very fine starch that is used as a thickener.
Is corn meal healthy?
As a starchy grain in a balanced diet, yes. It is a whole grain when it is ground from the whole kernel, and the nixtamalized flour used for tortillas is one of the better staple choices because of the niacin it makes available.
Is Corn meal safe?
Generally safe (88/100). Corn meal is a food and carries no E-number. In the United States the standard of identity for corn meal, including the particle size and whether it is degerminated, is set by regulation, and the nixtamalized flour used for tortillas has its own standard.
Is Corn meal vegan?
Yes. Milled from maize.
Is Corn meal gluten-free?
Yes. Naturally gluten-free, though it is often milled alongside wheat.
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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- FAO, maize and niacin biofortification programs
- EFSA, scientific opinion on the effects of the processing of maize on the glycaemic response
- US FDA, food labeling guide for wheat and gluten