Tortillas made from nixtamalized maize and extruded chickpea flours: A product with improved in vitro nutritional and antihypertensive properties

Abstract

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesIn this study, tortillas with improved in vitro nutritional and antihypertensive properties were developed using flours produced from nixtamalized maize (NixM) and extruded chickpea (ExtCP). The aims were (1) to find the optimal extrusion conditions to produce optimized ExtCP flour with high values of antioxidant activity (AoxA), total phenolic compounds (TPC), and in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), and (2) to evaluate the addition effect of 30% of optimized ExtCP flour over the nutritional, technological, sensory y nutraceutical properties of tortillas prepared from commercial NixM flour. A rotatable composite central experimental design with two factors (extrusion temperature [ET] = 50°C–170°C; screw speed (SS) = 50–240 rpm) and five levels was used to optimize the extrusion process.FindingsThe best combination of variables of the extrusion process to produce ExtCP flour was: ET = 143°C/SS = 138 rpm. The tortillas added with ExtCP flour had: proteins = 13.27%, total dietary fiber = 13.40%, protein chemical score = 85.42%, IVPD = 82.01%, calculated protein efficiency ratio (C‐PER) = 1.84, AoxA = 8031 µmol TE/100 g, and sensory acceptability = 8.51 (value located between I like it very much and I like it extremely).ConclusionsThe tortillas made from nixtamalized maize and ExtCP flours have better in vitro nutritional and antihypertensive properties than tortillas prepared from only nixtamalized maize flour.Significance and NoveltyThe addition of optimized ExtCP flour to commercial NixM flour allows obtaining functional tortillas with improved and sensory acceptable in vitro nutritional and antihypertensive properties.