Recovery of lysine and tryptophan from fortified nixtamalized cornflour and tortillas

Abstract

It has been shown, by sensory panels and tests on colour changes, that tortillas, enriched by nixtamalized cornflour, are acceptable for consumption and could supply up to 83% of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) recommended levels of lysine and tryptophan. We studied recovery of lysine and tryptophan which had been used to fortify nixtamalized cornflour and tortillas, which had been stored for 2 months at an ambient temperature of 30 °C. Three different levels of fortification of lysine and tryptophan, 83, 100 and 150% of the FAO recommended amounts, were used. Cornflour enriched with lysine and tryptophan did not lose important amounts of these amino acids after storage for up to 2 months at room temperature. Perhaps this was caused by the process of nixtamalization, which removed many reactive low molecular compounds normally present in corn and which could react with the free amino acids added for enrichment.