Cereal Chem. 71:337-343   |  VIEW ARTICLE


Cooking Time, Grinding, and Moisture Content Effect on Fresh Corn Masa Texture.

B. Ramirez-Wong, V. E. Sweat, P. I. Torres, and L. W. Rooney. Copyright 1994 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Corn was alkaline-cooked for 20, 55, or 80 min, and the nixtamal was ground in a stone grinder into masas with medium or coarse particle size distribution. Each masa was conditioned at three moisture levels. Masa texture was evaluated for adhesiveness and hardness and measured by a compression tension texture test. Samples of each corn masa were freeze-dried and ground for physical and chemical analyses including: water absorption index, particle size index, enzyme susceptible starch, and total amylose. Masas from nixtamal cooked for 20 min, either coarse- or medium-ground, at any moisture content, gave the lowest adhesiveness and the highest hardness and compression tension factor values. Nixtamal cooked for 55 min, ground to medium particle size with a moisture content range of 54.6-56.2%, gave the best masa texture for use in the sheeting and cutting rollers of the tortilla-making process. The cooking time affected the masa moisture, water absorption index, enzyme susceptible starch, and total amylose, whereas grinding affected water absorption index, total amylose, and particle size index. Textural characteristics of fresh corn masa were dependent upon its water retention capacity, which was controlled by the cooking and grinding operations.