Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Physicochemical characterization of corn–sorghum nixtamalized flours as a function of the steeping time

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This work focused on the study of the physicochemical properties of nixtamalized corn and sorghum flours, as well as combined nixtamalized corn–sorghum flours with 10, 20, and 30 % of sorghum. The removal of the sorghum pericarp during nixtamalization depends on the steeping time and strongly influences the water and calcium uptake. The absence of the waxy layer in sorghum grain allows a faster water uptake in relation to corn grain. Changes in the pericarp structure during the steeping time govern the Ca absorption in sorghum grain. The partial removal of the pericarp and the most external layers of the endosperm produce the decrease in phosphorous content for corn and sorghum. The Ca/P ratio of nixtamalized corn/sorghum flours is greater than 1 for steeping time up to 3 h. Therefore, this fact could help the increase of Ca in the daily diet. Amylopectin is the predominant macromolecule in both starches. The pasting profiles showed a decrease in peak viscosity when the sorghum fraction increases; this is due to increases in fiber.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. E.S. Suhendro, R. McDonough, L.A.W. Waniska, R.D. Yetneberk, Effects of processing conditions and sorghum production on alkaline processed snacks. Cereal Chem. 72(2), 187–193 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. FAO-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT Statistics Database-Agriculture (Rome, 1995)

  3. D.S. Murty, K.A. Kumar, Traditional uses of sorghum and millets, in Sorghum and Millets: Chemistry and Technology. ed by D.A.V. Dendy. (American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc., St. Paul, 1995)

  4. J. Mutisya, C. Sun, S. Rosenquist, Y. Baguma, C. Jansson, Diurnal oscillation of SBE expression in sorghum endosperm. J. Plant Physiol. 166(4), 428–434 (2009)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. L.J. Sosland, Grain Sorghum: The Other White Grain (World Grain, 1998)

  6. J.S. McLaren, N. Lakey, J. Osborne, Sorghum as a bioresources platform for future renewable resources. in Proceedings 57th Corn and Sorghum Research Conference. CD ROM. (American Seed Trade Association, Alexandria, 2003)

  7. R. Waniska, L.W. Rooney, Sorghum grain quality for increased utilization, in Sorghum and Millet Diseases, ed. by J.F. Leslie (Iowa State Press, Ames, 2002), pp. 327–335

  8. M. Awika, C.M. McDonough, L.W. Rooney, Decorticating sorghum to concentrate healthy phytochemicals. J. Agr. Food Chem. 53(16), 6230–6234 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. SIAP, http://infosiap.siap.gob.mx/index.php. (2009)

  10. M.H. Dicko, H. Gruppen, A.S. Traoré, A.G. Voragen, W.J.H. VanBerkel, Sorghum grain as human food in Africa: relevance of content of starch and amylase activities. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 5, 384–395 (2006)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. N. Montes-García, H. William-Alanis, T. Moreno-Gallegos, M. Cisneros-López, V. Pecina-Quintero, ‘RB-Paloma’ variedad de sorgo blanco para producción de grano y forraje. Rev. Fitotec. Mex. 35(2), 185–187 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  12. S.O. Serna-Saldivar, A. Tellez-Giron, L.W. Rooney, Production of tortilla chips from sorghum and maize. J. Cereal Sci. 8, 275–284 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. AACC, Approved Methods. American Association of Cereal Chemists, St. Paul, Methods 08-01 30-25 and 46-13 (2000)

  14. AOAC, Official Methods of Analysis, 17th edn. (Association of Official Analytical Chemists International, Gaithersburg, 2000)

  15. E. Gutiérrez-Cortez, I. Rojas-Molina, J.L. Pons-Hernández, H. Guzmán, B. Aguas-Ángel, J. Arenas, P. Fernández, A. Palacios, G. Herrera, M.E. Rodríguez, Study of calcium ion diffusion in nixtamalized quality protein maize as a function of the cooking temperature. Cereal Chem. 84(2), 186–194 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. S.M. Londoño-Restrepo, N. Rincón-Londoño, M. Contreras-Padilla, A.A. Acosta-Osorio, L.A. Bello-Pérez, J.C. Lucas-Aguirre, V.D. Quintero, P. Pineda-Gómez, A. del Real-López, M.E. Rodríguez-García, Physicochemical, morphological, and rheological characterization of Xanthosoma robustum lego-like starch. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 65, 222–228 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. T.S. Gibson, V.A. Solah, B.V. McCleary, A procedure to measure amylose in cereal starches and flours with concanavalin A. J. Cereal Sci. 25, 111–119 (1997)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. AOAC, Official Methods of Analysis, 16th edn. (Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Gaithersburg, 1998)

  19. C. Valderrama-Bravo, A. Rojas-Molina, E. Gutiérrez-Cortez, I. Rojas-Molina, A. Oaxaca-Luna, E. De la Rosa-Rincón, M.E. Rodríguez-García, Mechanism of calcium uptake in corn kernels during the traditional nixtamalization process: Diffusion, accumulation and percolation. J. Food Eng. 98, 126–132 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. I. Rojas, E. Gutiérrez-Cortez, A. Palacios-Fonseca, A. Baños, J.L. Pons-Hernández, P. Pineda-Gómez, M.E. Rodríguez-García, Study of structural and thermal changes in endosperm of quality protein maize during traditional nixtamalization process. Cereal Chem. 84(4), 304–312 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. A. Imberty, H. Chancy, S. Perez, A. Buleon, The double-helical nature of the crystalline part of A-starch. J. Mol. Biol. 201, 365–378 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. S.J. Whiting, J.L. Boyle, A. Thompson, R.L. Mirwald, R.A. Faulkner, Dietary protein, phosphorus and potassium are beneficial to bone mineral density in adult men consuming adequate dietary calcium. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 21, 402–409 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. M. Aguilera-Barreiro, J.A. Rivera-Márquez, H.M. Trujillo-Arriaga, J.A. Tamayo y Orozco, E. Barreira-Mercado, M.E. Rodríguez-García, Intake of dehydrated nopal (Opuntia ficus indica) improves bone mineral density and calciuria in adult Mexican women. Food Nutr. Res. 57, 19106–19110 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  24. M.E. Rodriguez, M. Yanez-Limon, J.J. Alvarado-Gil, H. Vargas, F. Sanchez-Sinencio, F. Figueroa, F. Martinez-Bustos, J.L. Martinez-Montes, J. Gonzalez-Hernandez, M.D. Silva, L.C.M. Miranda, Influence of the structural changes during alkaline cooking on the thermal, rheological, and dielectric properties of corn tortillas. Cereal Chem. 73(5), 593–600 (1996)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

M. Contreras Padilla wants to thank CONACYT Mexico for the financial support of her Post-doctoral position at CFATA-UNAM. The Authors want to thank Dra. Beatriz Millan and M S Alicia del Real Lopez for their technical support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Posgrado en Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Centro Universitario, Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, CP 76010, Querétaro, Qro, Mexico

    Ezequiel Hernández-Becerra

  2. División Ciencias de la Vida, Departamento de Alimentos, Universidad de Guanajuato, Carretera Irapuato León Km 9, Ex-Hacienda El Copal, Irapuato, Gto, Mexico

    Maria Paulina Gutierrez-Oñate, Gerardo Martinez-Soto & Lineth J. Vega-Rojas

  3. División de Investigación y Posgrado, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Centro Universitario, Cerro de las Campanas, S/N, CP 76010, Querétaro, Qro, Mexico

    Margarita Contreras-Padilla

  4. Cátedra Conacyt en Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo en Alimentos, Instituto Tecnológico de Veracruz, CP 91897, Veracruz, Ver, Mexico

    Andres A. Acosta-Osorio

  5. Departamento de Nanotecnología, Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, A.P. 1-1010, CP 76230, Querétaro, Qro, Mexico

    Mario E. Rodríguez-García

  6. Licenciatura en Ingeniería Física, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Centro Universitario, Cerro de las Campanas S/N, CP 76010, Querétaro, Qro, Mexico

    Mario E. Rodríguez-García

Authors
  1. Ezequiel Hernández-Becerra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Paulina Gutierrez-Oñate
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gerardo Martinez-Soto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lineth J. Vega-Rojas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Andres A. Acosta-Osorio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Margarita Contreras-Padilla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Mario E. Rodríguez-García
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario E. Rodríguez-García.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hernández-Becerra, E., Gutierrez-Oñate, M.P., Martinez-Soto, G. et al. Physicochemical characterization of corn–sorghum nixtamalized flours as a function of the steeping time. Food Measure 10, 434–443 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-016-9322-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-016-9322-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation