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Effect of Temperature on Texture of Corn Tortilla With and Without Antistaling Agents

¹Currently at Escuela Agricola Panamericana, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Corresponding author. Phone: 504-776-6140 ext 2205. E-mail: fbueso@zamorano.edu ²Dept. Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. ³Dept. Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. ⁴Dept. Food Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802.

Tortilla stiffening should occur between -23 to 57°C, showing a maximum rate near the midpoint of this range (17°C). Starch recrystallization below the glass transition temperature (T_g = -23°C) in corn tortillas is minimal due to lack of molecular mobility. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of storage temperature (-20 to 21°C) on the stiffening rate of corn tortillas with or without additives (carboxy-methylcellulose [CMC] and maltogenic amylase). Tortilla pliability, stiffness, and energy dissipated obtained by stress relaxation, and amylopectin recrystallization determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed a second-order polynomial relationship with temperature. Tortillas became stiff faster during refrigerated storage (3–10°C). Adding 0.25% CMC and 1,650 AU of amylase maintained tortilla softness and flexibility, both at room temperature and under refrigeration for at least three weeks.