Nixtamal techniques for different maize races prepared as tortillas and tostadas by women of Chiapas, Mexico

Nixtamalization, which means cooking maize in alkaline water, is the central technique for the culinary use of maize in Mexico and Central America. Without this procedure, relying on maize as the basic starch staple is inadequate because of nutriment deficiencies. Mexico has more than 50 principal racial types of maize, and these differ in grain qualities that can require the adjustment of the nixtamalization process. Properties such as hardness and grain composition influence nixtamalization because they are related to the absorption of water that occurs during cooking and steeping. Some maize preparations, like tortillas and tostadas, can also require the adjustment of nixtamalization to obtain a high-quality foodstuff. We studied how women in three regions of the state of Chiapas, which differ in the prevalent maize race available, prepare their nixtamal and whether they make changes according to the type of food they prepare. Interviews of 30 women follow the measure of relevant variables when the women prepared nixtamal. We found that nixtamalization is adjusted for different grain hardnesses and for environmental conditions. Variations were found in the cooking time of the nixtamal, in the amount of time the nixtamal was steeped, and in a special process of double boiling of the nixtamal performed by some women for tostadas. Women that specialize in production for the market have developed variations preferred by consumers. As practiced by women in Chiapas, nixtamalization is a flexible technique that is adjusted for maize type and for food preparations.

409 Reintroduction and in Situ Conservation of `Chococito' Maize Race in Anchicaya River, Buenaventura, Colombia

Variability of `chococito' maize cultivars (Zea mays L.), have been decreased in the Anchicaya river area, because new crops were established there. Process of recuperation, promotion, and conservation under in situ and ex situ conditions were proposed to the community of the area. Using participatory research methodologies, memory and uses were recuperated for four varieties through the Exchange Seed Interchange Fund (ESIF), established just for maize. The study was carried out in two components: social and agronomic. The social component was development in three phases: i) diagnosis; ii) establishment of the ESIF, and iii) socialization. The agronomic characterization was performed with members of the community through the development of the crop. Twenty-six variables, both quantitative and qualitative, were registered. The cultivars were appropriated for extreme conditions of the Anchicaya river area, high temperatures (30 °C) and high level of precipitation (6000 mm/year). During the process of cropping, it was found that the “to cut and to decay” system is the most common used in this region. Using multivariate analyses of quantitative and qualitative variables, the relationships between materials of `Chococito” race were found. The dendograms for these cultivars had shown differences among them. As a complement of the in situ conservation done by compromise of the Anchicaya's community, a duplicate under ex situ conditions was established at the Genetic Resources Laboratory, belonged to the Agronomy Dept. of National Univ. of Colombia.

Races of Drechslera maydis in Queensland

In a survey of its occurrence in Queensland, Drechslera maydis was found infecting Cyperus rotundus, Digitaria ciliaris, Echinochloa colonum, Eleusine indica, and Euchlaena mexicana in addition to maize. Race T was isolated from all hosts, and was the only race identified from maize. One culture of race O was obtained from E. mexicana.