Study of the physicochemical and pasting properties of instant corn flour added with calcium and fibers from nopal powder

• Published in: Journal of food engineering Vol. 96; no. 3; pp. 401 - 409
• Main Authors: Cornejo-Villegas, M.A., Acosta-Osorio, A.A., Rojas-Molina, I., Gutiérrez-Cortéz, E., Quiroga, M.A., Gaytán, M., Herrera, G., Rodríguez-García, M.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2010; [New York, NY]: Elsevier Science Pub. Co; Elsevier
• Subjects: absorption; atomic absorption spectrometry; Biological and medical sciences; calcium; Calcium content; Cereal and baking product industries; corn flour; dietary fiber; Fiber; fiber content; Food engineering; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gelatinization; General aspects; insoluble fiber; Instant corn flours; instant foods; nixtamalization; Nopal; Opuntia; particle size distribution; pasting properties; physicochemical properties; proximate composition; rheological properties; soluble fiber; swelling (materials); Traditional corn flours; Viscosity; water holding capacity; Viscosity; Traditional corn flours; Calcium content; Instant corn flours; Nopal; Fiber; Calcium; Gelatinization; Inorganic element; Corn flour; Powder; Cereal product; Physicochemical properties
• ISSN: 0260-8774; 1873-5770
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2009.08.014

This work presents a physicochemical and apparent viscosity characterization of commercial nixtamalized corn flours (CNCF) added with nopal powder. The chemical proximate analysis of CNCF and traditional nixtamalized corn flours (TNCF) shows equal amounts of protein and fat, but the calcium content and total dietary fiber is higher in the TNCF. Nopal powder contains a high amount of Ca, soluble and insoluble fiber. The inclusion of 4% of nopal powder increases the calcium and fiber content of the CNCF to the level of traditional nixtamalized products steeped at 7 h. A pasting characteristics analysis based on the profile curves was done in order to study the influence of soluble and insoluble fibers on the pasting conditions of the studied samples added with nopal. At low temperatures the insoluble fiber governs the water absorption and below the gelatinization temperature ( T g) a competition between starch swelling and water absorption was found; for T higher than T g the system is complex because it includes the interactions between soluble–insoluble fibers and exuding amylose.