Is corn germ vegan?

Corn germ is the embryo found at the center of a corn kernel from which a new plant germinates. It is obtained entirely from maize through industrial milling processes, such as wet milling or dry milling, which physically separate the germ from the surrounding endosperm and the outer hull. The isolated germ contains the majority of the kernel's natural fats and is often pressed to produce corn oil or utilized directly in milled grain blends.

This ingredient commonly appears on food labels for baked goods, breakfast cereals, snack chips, and processed grain products. Corn germ is vegan because it is solely derived from a plant source. The harvesting and milling operations rely entirely on mechanical separation of botanical material, with no animal products, byproducts, or animal-derived processing aids involved at any stage of production.