Aplicación de un proceso de cocimiento dieléctrico en la elaboración de harinas instantáneas de maíz amarillo para preparación de frituras de masa y tortillas

This present work reports on the evaluation of a method for producing of instant flour for corn and tortilla chips based on dielectric cooking (DC). The samples prepared with lime showed a smaller variation in color than those without lime. A greater water absorption capacity was found in the samples processed without lime. The values for cohesion and adhesion of the DC masa prepared with lime are within the range of values previously reported for samples of masa prepared with nixtamal and commercial instant maize flours. The color analyses of chips from DC masa showed slight changes in relation to the chips prepared by the traditional process of nixtamalization. The DC tortilla chips (plus lime) with 15 minutes of DC showed similar values of ΔE as compared to the control (commercial tortilla chips). The moisture of the DC chips varied in the range from 1.5 to 2.8. The DC tortilla chips with lime absorbed a lower amount of oil than the control sample and the corn chips. In fact, the DC chips absorbed lower amount of oil as compared to the control. The DC tortilla chips with lime and processed for 10 and 15 minutes were crunchy and smooth. Dielectric cooking displays a high potential for corn and tortilla chips with good functional characteristics, giving substantial savings of water, processing time and with higher yields due to the use of the whole grain.