EFFECT OF MOISTURE CONTENT AND TEMPERATURE, ON THE RHEOLOGICAL, MICROSTRUCTURAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF MASA (DOUGH) FROM A HYBRID CORN (Zea mays sp.) variety

 

Y. Estrada-Girón, J. Aguilar, J.A. Morales-del Rio, A.J. Valencia-Botin, J.A. Guerrero-Beltrán, A. H. Martínez-Preciado, E.R. Macías, J.F.A. Soltero, J. Solorza-Feria and V.V.A. Fernández

 

 

  • Corn and its byproducts (e.g. masa or dough), are the main staple food in Mexico.

  • Physical properties of masa as function of moisture content and temperature were evaluated.

  • Transition temperatures decreased; whereas enthalpy increased with moisture content of masa.

  • Masa showed gel-like viscoelastic behavior, with predominance of the storage modulus (G´).

  • Masa exhibited a shear-thinning flow behavior, following a power law equation

  • Temperature effect on masa shear-viscosity was described by the Arrhenius equation

  • Microestructural changes in masa due to the nixtamalization process was seen by diffractometry