Fatty acids and starch properties of high-oil maize hybrids during nixtamalization and tortilla-making process

The objective of this work was to evaluate changes in the fatty acids profile and starch properties during nixtamalization and tortilla-making processes of high-oil maize (HOM) hybrids. HOM grains had more linoleic acid than normal maize, and it decreased significantly from raw maize to tortilla, probably due to saponification and by its participation in the amylose-lipid complexes formation. After nixtamalization and milling, native type I amylose-lipid complexes were transformed into type IIa and IIb complexes. Tortillas from HOM showed similar retrogradation degree after 48 h of storage as revealed by thermal analysis, and this was reflected in the texture as reflected by the tensile strength and elongation values. The total relative crystallinity and the infrared 1047/1022 cm−1 spectral ratio increased on retrogradation however they behave in a complex manner in HOM samples. High-oil maize hybrids can be used for nixtamalization and tortilla preparation, but the higher oil content could not give an advantage for reducing tortilla staling.