Editing Hominy (section)

==Production==
To make hominy, [[field corn]] (maize) grain is dried, and then it is treated by soaking and cooking the mature (hard) grain in a dilute solution of [[lye]] ([[potassium hydroxide]]) (which can be produced from water and [[wood ash]]) or slaked lime ([[calcium hydroxide]] from [[lime (material)|limestone]]). The maize is then washed thoroughly to remove the bitter flavor of the lye or lime. Alkalinity helps dissolve [[hemicellulose]], the major adhesive component of the maize cell walls, loosens the hulls from the kernels, and softens the corn. Also, soaking the corn in lye<ref name=ml>{{cite web|last=Thigpen|first=Susan|title=Hominy – Mountain Recipe|url=http://www.mtnlaurel.com/recipes/160-hominy-mountain-recipe.html|work=The Mountain Laurel|access-date=17 November 2013|date=October 1983}}</ref> kills the seed's [[Cereal germ|germ]], which keeps it from sprouting while in storage. Finally, in addition to providing a source of dietary [[calcium]], the lye or lime reacts with the corn so that the nutrient [[Niacin (nutrient)|niacin]] can be assimilated by the digestive tract.<ref>{{cite book|author=Fussell, Betty H.|title=The Story of Corn|date=1992|page=204|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAsQ0Pn1_0MC&pg=PA204 |publisher=UNM Press|isbn=9780826335920}}</ref> People consume hominy in intact kernels, grind it into sand-sized particles for [[grits]], or into [[flour]].

In [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican]] cooking, hominy is finely ground to make [[masa]] (Spanish for ''dough''). Fresh masa that has been dried and powdered is called ''masa seca'' or ''masa harina''.  Some of the corn oil breaks down into [[emulsifying agent]]s ([[monoglyceride]]s and [[diglyceride]]s), and facilitates bonding the corn [[protein]]s to each other. The [[divalent]] calcium in lime acts as a cross-linking agent for protein and [[polysaccharide]] [[acidic]] side chains. [[Cornmeal]] from untreated ground corn cannot form a dough with the addition of water, but the chemical changes in masa (a.k.a. ''masa nixtamalera'') make dough formation possible, for [[tortilla]]s and other food.