Development of laboratory techniques to mimic industrial-scale nixtamalization

• Published in: Cereal chemistry Vol. 82; no. 6; pp. 695 - 701
• Main Authors: Yglesias, R, Parkhurst, A.M, Jackson, D.S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Paul, MN The American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc 01-11-2005; American Association of Cereal Chemists
• Subjects: alkali treatment; Biological and medical sciences; Cereal and baking product industries; cooking; corn; dry matter content; enthalpy; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; laboratory equipment; laboratory techniques; masa; nixtamalization; pasting properties; response surface methodology; shear strength; soaking; temperature; thermal properties; viscosity; water content; Development; Laboratory scale; Nixtamalization
• ISSN: 0009-0352; 1943-3638
• DOI: 10.1094/CC-82-0695

A laboratory nixtamalization process was developed to imitate larger scale cooking/steeping conditions. Corn (45 kg) was cooked in a pilot plant gas-fired cook/steep tank and temperature was monitored every 30 sec. Cooling and heating rates were mimicked in the laboratory using a digital temperature programmable hot plate that adjusted grain-water-lime temperature changes at a specified rate. A Response Surface Central Composite Design was used to model pasting and thermal properties of nixtamal and masa as a function of cooking temperature (86-96 degrees C), cooking time (20-40 min), and steeping time (3-11.77 hr). Nixtamal and masa moisture, dry matter loss, nixtamal and masa RVA peak temperature, shear thinning, nixtamal peak viscosity, masa final viscosity, nixtamal and masa DSC enthalpy peak and end temperatures, and nixtamal onset temperature were explained by the same regression terms for results obtained using both processes conditions. The intercept and slopes of the fitted models for the pilot plant and laboratory responses were not significantly different (P < 0.05). The laboratory method can be used to mimic larger scale processing over a wide range of nixtamalization conditions.