TORTILLAS MADE WITH EXTRUDED FLOURS OF BLUE MAIZE AND CHÍA SEEDS AS AN NUTRITIOUS AND NUTRACEUTICAL FOOD OPTION

Tortillas with adequate nutrients and phytochemicals as a recommended option may improve health in older adults. In this research tortillas were prepared with native blue maize (Zea mays L.) and chía (Salvia hispanica) seeds processed by alkaline extrusion. The hypothesis was that alkaline extrusion would generate flours of both seeds with improved nutraceutical and nutritional characteristics compared to traditional products. The aim was then to evaluate extruded defatted chía flour addition on nutritional and nutraceutical properties of tortillas made with extruded native blue maize flour. Tortillas were prepared with a mixture 75% extruded blue maize flour +25% extruded defatted chía flour. Other tortillas from 100% extruded blue maize flour and commercial lime-cooked maize flour (Blue MASECA®) were used as control and reference. Nutritional, antioxidant, antihypertensive and hypoglycaemic properties of tortillas were evaluated in vitro. A completely randomized experimental design with one factor (type of tortilla) was used for data analysis. Tortillas added with extruded chía flour had higher protein, dietary fibre, essential amino acid (EAA) profile, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), and calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER) than control and reference tortillas. Tortillas with addition of extruded chía flour also had better antioxidant activity [oxygen radical absorbance capacity, (ORAC) 18006 vs 15531 Trolox equivalent, (TE) μmol per 100g of dry weight, (DW) sample], and better antihypertensive [(ACE) angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, IC50=0.47 vs 0.65 extract mg mL-1] and hypoglycaemic (IC50=20.07 vs 25.81 extract mg mL-1 to α-amylase inhibition, and IC50=16.25 vs 19.69 extract mg mL-1 to α-glucosidase inhibition) potential than tortillas from 100% extruded blue maize flour. The use of extruded chía flour and blue maize flour allowed obtaining tortillas with enhanced nutritional, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and hypoglycaemic properties. The extrusion process consumes few water volumes without generating polluting effluents. An appropriate public policy in Mexico may promote these tortillas to be used to fight against malnutrition, and to reduce incidences of chronic degenerative diseases such as hypertension or diabetes.

Anthocyanins and Functional Compounds Change in a Third-Generation Snacks Prepared Using Extruded Blue Maize, Black Bean, and Chard: An Optimization

The effect of extrusion cooking on bioactive compounds in third-generation snacks (TGSE) and microwave-expanded snacks (MWSE) prepared using black bean, blue maize, and chard (FBCS) was evaluated. FBCS was extruded at different moisture contents (MC; 22.2–35.7%), extrusion temperatures (ET; 102–142 °C), and screw speeds (SP; 96–171 rpm). Total anthocyanin content (TAC), contents of individual anthocyanins, viz., cyanidin-3-glucoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-5-diglucoside, and delphinidin-3-glucoside chloride, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), and color parameters were determined. TAC and individual anthocyanin levels increased with the reduction in ET. ET and MC affected the chemical and color properties; increase in ET caused a significant reduction in TPC and AA. Microwave expansion reduced anthocyanin content and AA, and increased TPC. Extrusion under optimal conditions (29% MC, 111 rpm, and 120 °C) generated products with a high retention of functional compounds, with high TAC (41.81%) and TPC (28.23%). Experimental validation of optimized process parameters yielded an average error of 13.73% from the predicted contents of individual anthocyanins. Results suggest that the TGSE of FBCS obtained by combining extrusion and microwave expansion achieved significant retention of bioactive compounds having potential physiological benefits for humans.

Against Malnutrition and Chronic Degenerative Diseases in Mexico: Functional Tortillas from Whole Extruded Creole Blue Maize and Amaranth (Basic Grains) Flours

Mexico suffers from issues with malnutrition, anemia, overweight, and obesity. Furthermore, chronic degenerative diseases (CDD) was the leading cause of mortality in 2018, with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes being the first two causes of death. Tortillas represent an excellent vehicle to enhance the nutritional status of tortillas consumers (Mexicans). The work's objective was to evaluate the effect of extruded amaranth flour (EAF) addition on the quality (nutritional, nutraceutical, sensory) of tortillas from extruded creole blue maize flour (ECBMF). Tortillas prepared with the addition of 30% of EAF to ECBMF. We evaluated the effect of the addition of amaranth flour on nutritional properties [essential amino acid (EAA) profile, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER)]. Additionally, we determined the nutraceutical properties of tortillas. Functional tortillas had higher proteins, dietary fiber, IVPD, C-PER, lower AoxA (13,187 vs. 15,398 mmol TE/100 g, DW), and better antihypertensive and hypoglycemic potentials than 100% ECBMF tortillas. The addition of EAF to ECBMF allows us to obtain functional tortillas with enhanced in vitro nutritional and nutraceutical properties and sensorily acceptable. As part of public policy, functional tortillas could reduce malnutrition and chronic degenerative diseases in Mexico.

Optimization of lipophilic compounds in tortillas from native pigmented maize elaborated by the lime cooking extrusion process

The lime-cooking extrusion process depicts emerging technologies to making maize tortillas with the advantages of reducing energy, little water use, and not environmental deletions effluents. Multi-response optimization by response surface methodology (RSM) was a tool to optimize native pigmented maize lime-cooking extrusion process to obtain flours to develop tortillas with high lipophilic compounds. The effects of extrusion temperature (ET, 65–135 ºC) and screw speed (SS, 78–212 rpm) were investigated. The best extruded blue maize tortillas were selected over response variables: Linoleic acid (LA), Oleic acid (OA), Campesterol (CP), Stigmasterol (SP), and b-sitosterol (bSP), where the quadratic predictive developed models were adequate and reproducible inside the specified array of process factors. Appling desirability function, the optimum lime-cooking extrusion conditions to development extruded blue maize tortillas correspond to ET (119 °C), SS (78 rpm) and a global desirability value (D = 0.906). Values response variables obtained from the predictive models were compared from experimental tests, a close agreement between both values was observed. Hence, RSM is still convenient for optimization, particularly once used in mixture with other procedures.

Genotyping by Sequencing Reveals Genetic Relatedness of Southwestern U.S. Blue Maize Landraces

Maize has played a key role in the sustenance and cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the southwestern USA for many centuries. Blue maize is an important component of the diverse landraces still cultivated in the region but the degree to which they are related is unknown. This research was designed to ascertain the genotypic, morphological, and phenotypic diversity of six representative southwestern blue maize landraces. Their genotypic diversity was examined using tunable genotyping-by-sequencing (tGBS™). A total of 81,038 high quality SNPs were identified and obtained through tGBS. A total of 45 morphological and biochemical traits were evaluated at two locations in New Mexico. The varieties Los Lunas High and Flor del Rio were genetically less related with other southwestern landraces whereas diffusion between Navajo Blue, Hopi Blue, Yoeme Blue, and Taos Blue demonstrated that these landraces were genetically related. Phenotypic variability was highest for kernel traits and least for plant traits. Plant, ear, and kernel traits were fairly consistent within and across locations. Principal component analysis and tGBS showed that Corn Belt variety ‘Ohio Blue’ was distinctly different from southwestern landraces. Genotypic analysis displayed that southwestern landraces are genetically closely related, but selection has resulted in differing phenotypes. This study has provided additional insight into the genetic relatedness of southwestern blue maize landraces.

Influence of temperature and germination time on diastatic power of blue and red maize (Zea mays L.) malts

Maize endosperm consists of about 70 % starch, which makes it an excellent substrate for fermentation. However, due to its low diastatic power, it is used in brewing as an adjunct, mainly. In order to include both red and blue maize as an enzyme source in the brewing process, the effect of temperature and time germination on the diastatic power of malts was studied. The research consisted in a completely randomized three-factor experimental design where the involved factors were colour of maize (blue and red), germination temperature (15, 20, and 25 °C), and germination time (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 days). The response variables were germination percentage, acrospire length, malting yield, and diastatic power. Data was analysed through Analysis of variance and Comparison Multiple Tukey’s Test. Results showed that both temperature and germination time encouraged the acrospire length, which had a negative effect on malting yield. Regarding to diastatic power, it maintained an increase from third to seventh germination day, at the three tested temperatures. Additionally, as the germination temperature increased, the diastatic power also increased. The highest diastatic power for blue and red maize malts were 39 and 42 °L, respectively, and it was reached when these malts were germinated for 7 days at 25 °C. It was concluded that, by germinating both blue and red maize under the resulting optimum conditions, the obtained malts would be capable of converting their own starch.

Compositional Analyses Reveal Relationships among Components of Blue Maize Grains

One aim of this experiment was to develop NIR calibrations for 20-grain components in 143 pigmented maize samples evaluated in four locations across New Mexico during 2013 and 2014. Based on reference analysis, prediction models were developed using principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). The predictive ability of calibrations was generally low, with the calibrations for methionine and glycine performing best by PCR and PLS. The second aim was to explore the relationships among grain constituents. In PCA, the first three PCs explained 49.62, 22.20, and 6.92% of the total variance and tend to align with nitrogen-containing compounds (amino acids), carbon-rich compounds (starch, anthocyanin, fiber, and fat), and sulfur-containing compounds (cysteine and methionine), respectively. Correlations among traits were identified, and these relationships were illustrated by a correlation network. Some relationships among components were driven by common synthetic origins, for example, among amino acids derived from pyruvate. Similarly, anthocyanins, crude fat, and fatty acids all share malonyl CoA in their biosynthetic pathways and were correlated. In contrast, crude fiber and starch have similar biosynthetic origins but were negatively correlated, and this may have been due to their different functional roles in structure and energy storage, respectively.

Effect of Pleurotus agaves mushroom addition on the physicochemical and sensory properties of blue maize tortillas produced with traditional and ecological nixtamalization

Mexican blue corn tortillas with ecological nixtamalization, and enriched with Pleurotus agaves mushrooms, have the best levels of bioactive compounds, mainly β-glucans, also, they maintain acceptable rheological and sensory properties.