Abstract
Maize tortilla is a basic food in Mexico, and, lately, the food industry has tried to make the manufacturing process easier by using instant flours and specialized machines. The purpose of this study was to investigate consumers’ behaviors related to tortillas and to evaluate the sensory, textural, and physico-chemical parameters of tortillas from the Tlazala region, Mexico. The sensory profile revealed that the artisanal ones had better parameters in terms of smell, taste, and appearance compared to the others. These results are consistent with consumers’ preferences for tortillas made of maize grain instead of industrial corn flour. The sensory parameters and the physico-chemical and texture profile parameters varied with the maize type and manufacturing process. Our findings showed that the artisanal hand-made ones were more nutritious, followed by those mechanically made using maize grain, and finally by those mechanically made from industrialized corn flour. The results of this study may help processors to better understand the parameters of their products and people’s preferences.
Highlights
Maize is one of the most cultivated crops in America, Europe, and Asia, being largely consumed in Latin America
Maize is a key element in the Mesoamerican diet; only in Mexico is it mainly consumed in the shape of “tortilla”—a flat 12 to 18 cm disc made of nixtamalized maize flour, cooked over a hot comal or skillet [1]
The aim of this study was to investigate the preferences related to tortillas and to evaluate the sensory, texture, and physico-chemical parameters of three types of maize tortillas among consumers from a small rural mountain village, Tlazala, Municipality of Isidro Fabela, which has experienced a rapid urbanization process over the last two decades due to the fact of its proximity to Mexico City’s
Summary
Maize is one of the most cultivated crops in America, Europe, and Asia, being largely consumed in Latin America. Maize tortilla is one of the most popular foods in Mexico, and it is strongly related to the Mexican identity and considered a cultural heritage. It presents very different organoleptic parameters among Mexican territories, with the average daily consumption per capita being 180 g in urban areas and 300 g in rural zones of the country [2]. Nixtamalization, a word coming from the indigenous Nahuatl linguistic root nixtli—meaning ashes or lime—and tamalli, a maize dough, is an ancient treatment Nixtamalization, a word coming from the indigenous Nahuatl linguistic root nixtli—meaning ashes or lime—and tamalli, a maize dough, is an ancient treatment (since 400–500 a. c.)
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