Physicochemical, morphological, and pasting properties of nixtamalized flours from quality protein maize and its particle distribution

Physicochemical, morphological, and apparent viscosity changes of nixtamalized flours from quality protein maize (NFQM) were determined in regard to differing particle sizes distribution, the flours were passed through different sizes of screens namely: 30 (590 mu m), 40 (420 mu m), 60 (250 mu m), 80 (177 mu m), and 100 (149 mu m) U.S. meshes as a function of the steeping time. The NFQM were prepared by means of traditional nixtamalization process that is reflected in different functionalities of the final products. The calcium content in the different particle size does not follow a linear relationship with the steeping time. The SEM study demonstrates the morphological changes, and the starch granules for different steeping times. An analysis of pasting characteristic based on the profile curves was done in order to study the apparent viscosity of these samples, and it was also found particle size dependence. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.