Corn and wheat are among the most important cereals worldwide, representing many of the calories and proteins consumed. Tortillas and tortilla-related products are one of the fastest-growing segments of the food industry and represent a sizeable portion of those calories.

Tortillas: Wheat Flour and Corn Products answers the food industry’s need to meet the growing demand for high-quality tortillas and tortilla-based foods.This book will guide food scientists, product developers, and nutritionists through the fascinating science and technology behind the production of corn and wheat flour tortillas.

This title is the most comprehensive English-language book of its kind. It fully describes the technology, nutritional value, and quality control measures of corn and wheat flour tortillas, tortilla chips, and related products. It accomplishes this through 300 pages of quality text complemented by easy-to-understand facts, figures, tables, and summaries that seamlessly guide users to an understanding of the fundamental underlying principles that optimize tortilla production and guide product development.

Tortillas: Wheat Flour and Corn Products is ideal for academics and industry professionals, including food science and nutrition students; people working in the tortilla and snack food industries; industry staff interested in the quality control/assurance aspects of tortillas; and professionals interested in cereal processing and product development. Edited by the renowned food science educators in tortilla production, this book provides high quality training at both the academic and corporate levels.

Coverage Includes: 

• A history of corn and wheat flour tortillas

• Ideal physicochemical properties of corn kernels and wheat flours to optimize processing

• Quality attributes of processed products and quality control/troubleshooting 

• Food safety and quality control, from the raw materials to intermediate and finished products

• Various industrial setups and pilot plant techniques currently used to manufacture wheat flour tortillas

• Ideal physical, chemical, and rheological properties of tortilla flours

• Roles of leavening agents in tortilla quality

• Functions of dough emulsifiers and reducing agents in textural shelf life and “process-ability”

• Effects and roles of preservatives and supplemented enzymes on shelf life

• Common quality and consistency issues encountered by the flour tortilla industry, along with solutions and recommendations

• Optimum properties of corn kernels for tortillas and nixtamalized snacks, such as parched fried corn, corn chips, and tortilla chips

• Milling processes and quality control testing used to obtain lime-cooked dough, the backbone for the fabrication of table tortillas or corn and tortilla chips

Tortillas: Wheat Flour and Corn Products

Chapter 1

History of Corn and Wheat Tortillas

Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar

Summary
Agriculture in America
Corn
Wood Ashes and Lime
Corn Gods and Related Ceremonials
Indigenous Alkali-Cooked Corn Products
Nutritional Value
Equipment and Processing
Industry Development
Product Development
Wheat

Chapter 2

Nutrition and Fortification of Corn and Wheat Tortillas

Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar

Summary
Nutritional Value of Regular Corn Tortillas
Enrichment and Fortification of Corn Tortillas
Nutritional Value of Regular Wheat Flour Tortillas
Enrichment and Fortification of Wheat Flour Tortillas

Chapter 3

Phytochemical Profiles and Nutraceutical Properties of Corn and Wheat Tortillas

Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar, Janet A. Gutiérrez-Uribe, and Silverio García-Lara

Summary
Nutraceutical Properties of Corn, Wheat, and Their Tortillas
Dietary Fiber
Resistant Starch
Phytochemicals
Nonpolar and Polar Lipids
Enhancement of Nutraceutical Properties of Tortillas Through Supplementation of Other Flours and Additives

Chapter 4

Quality Assurance for Corn and Wheat Flour Tortilla Manufacturing

Daniel J. Brooker

Summary
Tortilla quality
Establishing the Tortilla QA/QC Program
The pH of Tortillas
Water Content
Molds
Quality in Tortilla Operations
Food Safety and Tortillas
Supplier Certification
Methods for Quality Control of Tortillas

Chapter 5

Processing of Flour Tortillas

Ralph D. Waniska

Summary
Traditional Processing
Industrial Processing
Tortilla Properties
Pilot-Plant Tortilla Testing
Methods to Evaluate Doughs and Tortillas

Chapter 6

Wheat Flour for Tortillas

Feliciano Bejosano and Juma Novie Alviola

Summary
Major Types of Flours
Types of Commercially Produced Tortillas
Flour Properties That Affect Tortilla Quality
Quality Criteria for Tortilla Flour
Flour, Dough, and Tortilla Properties
Requirements for Tortilla Flour vs. Bread Flour
Whole-Wheat Flour and Flour Blends
Conclusions

Chapter 7

Leavening in Flour Tortillas

Sharon L. Book and Ralph D. Waniska

Summary
Leavening
Processing of Bakery Products
Effects of Leavening on Tortillas

Chapter 8

Dough Conditioners in Flour Tortilla Processing

Feliciano Bejosano and Juma Novie Alviola

Summary
Tortilla Formulation
Dough System
Water
Reducing Agents
Fat
Emulsifiers
Acids

Chapter 9

Preservatives: Extending Shelf Life and Shelf Stability

Cassandra M. McDonough, Juma Novie Alviola, and Ralph D. Waniska

Summary
Microbial Problems in Wheat and Corn Tortillas
Temperature Control and Sanitation
Shelf Stability of Corn and Wheat Tortillas

Chapter 10

Enzymes: Extending Shelf Life and Eating Quality of Tortillas

Dilek Lemlioglu Austin

Summary
Industrial Enzymes Used in Baking Operations
Enzymes Used in Tortillas
Enzymes in Wheat Flour Tortillas
Enzymes in Corn Tortillas

Chapter 11

Flour Tortilla Problems

Ralph D. Waniska

Summary
How to Balance the Tortilla Formula
Troubleshooting in the Tortilla Industry
Researchable Issues

Chapter 12

Food-Grade Corn Quality for Lime-Cooked Tortillas and Snacks

Lloyd W. Rooney and Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar

Summary
Corn Kernel Structure and Chemical Composition
Types of Corn
Corn Grading
Corn Quality for Alkaline Cooking
Mycotoxins
Supply and Handling of Food-Grade Corn
Quality Control of Corn Kernels Used for Tortillas and Related Snacks

Chapter 13

Industrial Production of Maize Tortillas and Snacks

Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar and Lloyd W. Rooney

Summary
Key Ingredients for Tortilla Production
Key Ingredients for Production of Nixtamalized Snacks
Industrial Production of Tortillas
Alternative Processing Technologies for Dry Masa Flours
Lime-Cooked Snack Products
Quality Control of Lime-Cooked Tortillas and Snacks