Corn masa and tortillas from extruded instant corn flour containing hydrocolloids and lime

• Published in: Journal of food science 1999, Vol.64 (1), p.120-124
• Main Authors: Arambula, V.G, Mauricio, S.R.A, Figueroa, C.J.D, Gonzalez-Hernandez, J, Ordorica, F.C.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cereal and baking product industries; colloids; Corn; corn flour; corn masa; corn meal; dehydration; diffusion; duration; extruded foods; extrusion; Food industries; Food science; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gums; heat treatment; hydrocolloids; lime; moisture diffusion; shear strength; Temperature; tensile strength; texture; tortilla; tortillas; Water; water content; weight losses; yields
• ISSN: 0022-1147; 1750-3841
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1999.tb09873.x

Extruded instant corn flour (EICF) samples with hydrocolloids (gums), such as gum arabic, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), guar and xanthan and with different concentrations of lime (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% w/w) were prepared by extrusion. The gums were added before or after thermal processing. The dehydration process followed through the weight loss (WL) in masa, the physicochemical (water absorption capacity (WAC) and WL during cooking) characteristics of masa were optimized to give longer dehydration times and tortillas with good textural (rollability, tensile strength and cutting force) properties. The lowest effective moisture diffusion coefficient (D*) was found in masa samples containing 0.2% (w/w) of lime and 0.5% (w/w) of the xanthan gum added before extrusion. These masas produce tortillas with optimum textural characteristics and highest yields.