NUTRITION AND TEXTURE EVALUATION OF MAIZE-WHITE COMMON BEAN NIXTAMALIZED TORTILLAS

Abstract

The effect of white common bean addition on certain nutritional, physicochemical and textural properties of tortillas was determined. The maize-bean blends used were 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, and 75:25. The blends were processed using the traditional nixtamalization process. As the bean quantity increased in tortillas, higher protein, lysine, and tryptophan contents were registered. At 25% of bean addition, lysine and tryptophan content in tortillas increased from 56 and 36% of FAO profile to 95 and 84%, respectively. It was concluded that tortillas produced with these blends not only improve protein quality but also had similar physicochemical and textural properties of tortillas prepared with maize.