Although corn is an excellent source of starch and is heavily grown in the United States, its traditional use and value as a major food resource inevitably triggers a controversial debate of "food versus fuel." The supply-and-demand dynamics of corn in the U. S. marketplace for both fuel and food end-uses has significantly contributed to the recent escalation of corn prices, which in turn increased the production cost of ethanol as well as the price of corn-derived foods. This has been one of the principal reasons that drive the commercial­ization efforts of cellulosic ethanol production which is based on nonedible renewable feedstock.