Production of nixtamalized flour and tortillas from amarantin transgenic maize lime-cooked in a thermoplastic extruder

• Transgenic maize (TM) flours were produced through lime-cooking extrusion.
• Tortillas of extruded TM flour had high nutritional value.
• Tortillas of extruded TM and commercial flours had similar acceptability.

The potential use of quality protein transgenic maize (genetically modified maize with the cDNA of amarantin) for preparation of flour and tortillas through an extrusion lime cooking process was investigated. Tortillas from extruded transgenic maize flour had similar physicochemical and sensory properties than those from the commercial brand MASECA™; however, the former had the highest (P < 0.05) protein content (12.91 vs 8.93%, db), essential amino acids content, calculated protein efficiency ratio (C-PER; 2.27 vs 0.90) and protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS; 55.54 vs 30.18%) and therefore they were nutritionally better. The use of transgenic maize for flour and tortilla preparation through an extrusion lime cooking process may have a positive impact on the nutritional status of people from countries where maize is the basic staple food. It also represents an alternative process to nixtamalization that requires little energy and water, it does not generate wastewater, and all components of the maize kernel are retained.