Correlation between the lignin content and mechanical properties of waxy corn pericarp

• Waxy corn pericarp mechanical properties had negative correlation with lignin content.
• Waxy corn pericarp mechanical properties had positive correlation with eating quality.
• There was no significant correlation between the pericarp thickness and eating quality score.

The pericarp mechanical properties of waxy corn inbred lines are important factors of pericarp, which was one of the most important factors affecting the fresh corn eating quality. This study investigated the correlation between the lignin content and pericarp thickness of 10 waxy corn inbred lines and their mechanical properties of rupture force, breaking length and tensile energy absorption. Based on correlation coefficients, a strong negative correlation was found between the lignin content of all waxy corn inbred lines studied and their mechanical properties. The correlation levels between the lignin content and rupture force, breaking length and tensile energy absorption were r = −0.88, −0.91, and −0.75 for cooked samples and r = −0.63, −0.62, and −0.75 for fresh samples, respectively. The mechanical properties of pericarp had positive correlation with eating quality. However, there were no significant correlation between the pericarp thickness and eating quality score. The pericarp thickness may not be the main factor affecting fresh corn eating quality.