Abstract
Corn tortillas have a short shelf life due to increased firmness and microbial spoilage. Commercial corn tortillas use carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to delay staling; however this gum is expensive when compared to the rest of the tortilla ingredients. Glycerol has been added to bread and wheat tortillas to increase pliability and salt has been shown to mask the flavor of glycerol in corn tortillas. The possibility to reduce staling in corn tortillas by adding glycerol/salt as an alternative to CMC was investigated by monitoring changes in physico-chemical properties during 2 weeks of storage at 25 °C. Molecular and macroscopic changes were followed using thermal and mechanical analysis. During storage an increase in amylopectin recrystallization was observed in all samples. The “freezable” water content of all tortillas decreased over the first 3–5 days of storage with an increase after 7 days, while moisture content and water activity remained constant. Glycerol/salt tortillas exhibited a sharper transition region in the DMA temperature scan suggesting a more homogenous sample. CMC tortillas were significantly stiffer than glycerol tortillas after 14 days of storage. Glycerol/salt combinations may offer at least a partial replacement for CMC since it helped control the stiffness, water homogeneity and distribution during storage.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
