Maize into Lime-Cooked Products

FIGURE 9.1 Flowchart of industrial processes for the manufacture of table tortillas, corn chips, tortilla chips, and dry masa flour. 

Latin Americans living in the southwestern states first introduced tortilla products in the United States in the middle of the past century. The rapid and exponential growth in the production and sales of lime-cooked snacks took place mainly during the last two decades of the twentieth century. 

Tortillas represent 30% of aU baked product sales in the United States and continue to be the most popular food in Mexico and Central America. Approximately, 120 million tortillas are consumed yearly in the United States, making these the second most popular baked product after white bread. An average Mexican consumes more than 80 kg of maize tortillas annually. Today, derived products such as flat tostadas and tortilla chips are extensively sold as snacks and in the preparation of fast foods (Chapter 12). Tostadas are the base for the preparation of a wide array of meals. Taco shells are the American version of tostadas, the only difference being that they are usually fried bent (U form) and rarely colored. Regular and low-fat tostadas and taco shells are available in grocery stores in Mexico and the United States. 

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Q Milling of Maize into Lime-Cooked Products... 

Dry masa flour Lime-cooked maize kernels that are coarsely ground into dough and then dehydrated and reground to meet certain particle-size specifications. The shelf-stable dry masa flour is moistened and further processed into table tortillas, com chips, tortillas chips, and other related products. 

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