Grilled or boiled, it has a more glutinous texture than yellow or golden coin. Some people love it, but some say you have to acquire a taste for it.

But perhaps not many know that it’s packed with health benefits, as FMT Lifestyle recently learned from a researcher at University Putra Malaysia, 34-year-old Mohd Nazrul Anis.

Nazrul took the team to a research plot maintained by the university’s Faculty of Agriculture, where there was an array of vegetables and fruits not commonly found in local markets, including a variety of purple corn.

According to him, purple corn, whose land of origin is the Andes, is loaded with anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants also found in many red and purple vegetables and fruits.

Plant anthocyanins have been widely studied for their medicinal values. They have antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-obesity effects and have been said to lower the risk of heart disease.

“I planted purple corn because I wanted to try something new,” Nazrul said. “I like to plant things which are difficult to find on the market.

“The taste of this corn is almost the same as yellow corn, but it’s a bit rougher in texture.”

The corn, like many of Nazrul’s other crops, such as watermelon, sugar cane and pineapple, is gaining significant popularity, proving to be a profitable venture for the university.

“It tastes very good, especially when it’s fresh,” he said. “We sell directly to our customers within 24 hours of harvesting.”

The crop can be harvested less than 75 days after planting, but Nazrul said cultivating it posed significant challenges, with pest and disease management emerging as a primary concern.

“We can’t rely on chemicals. If we use too much pesticide, our soil will not be healthy. The pests can also develop resistance to the chemicals.”

So he employs biological control, planting yellow flowers near the corn to repel pests.

Despite the challenges, technological advancements such as spraying drones had significantly eased some tasks. “If we plant manually for one row, it takes 15 to 20 minutes. But when we use the corn seeder machine, it only takes two minutes.”

After receiving positive customer feedback from a trial round conducted in Serdang last year, Nazrul expanded his purple corn field to cover 0.2 hectares in total. The yield was sold out just weeks after harvesting.

Nazrul said he believed that all efforts to cultivate crops on Malaysian soil should boil down to one crucial goal: ensuring food security.

“When we plant all of this, we’re not reliant on foreign countries. By planting here, we can store our food as a backup.”

He cited the rice dilemma. Despite a national target of rice self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) of 75% by 2025, Malaysia still faces a rice shortage.

“As of 2024, we are unable to increase this from 70%. In fact, it’s been decreasing. We have to import rice from foreign countries. If they stop their supply, how do we survive?”

Farming is something Nazrul finds pure enjoyment in.

“I love agriculture because it’s like therapy,” he said. “When our crops are growing well, we feel happy. When we are happy, it makes us want to plant more and more and more.”

He said he would urge the younger generation to embrace agriculture. “When we plant vegetables, we not only save money but also take care of our health.”

So, whether it’s growing vegetables in your backyard or herbs on your balcony, join Nazrul in cultivating a culture of sustainable living for a healthier tomorrow.

Stay updated with UPM’s Faculty of Agriculture here.