Effects of Food Processing, Storage, and Cooking on Nutrients in Plant-Based Foods
Nicole M. Farmer, Andres Victor Ardisson Korat in Cooking for Health and Disease Prevention, 2022
Nixtamalization is a traditional process developed in Mexico and Central America. To prepare corn following this process, corn first is soaked overnight and then cooked in an alkaline solution made with lime (calcium hydroxide) and then washed and hulled. The resulting product, the nixtamal, is the starting ingredient to make tamales, corn tortillas, and tortilla chips. Several chemical changes take place during the nixtamalization process because of the increased pH produced by the calcium hydroxide. Several pigments in corn including carotenoids and anthocyanins produce more intense colors in the alkaline pH environment. The alkaline environment degrades the plant cell wall material, allowing the outer layer, or pericarp, to be removed (Figure 2.15).
Role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Impacting Nutrient Bioavailability
Marcela Albuquerque Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc, Jean Guy LeBlanc, Raquel Bedani in Lactic Acid Bacteria, 2020
Cereal grains, especially wheat, rice, and maize, are major sources of energy in the human diet, comprising an average of 50% of all calories consumed globally (FAO 1998, Awika 2011). While nutrient profiles vary by cereal type, due to their significant energy contributions to the human diet, cereal grains are important sources of nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, and micronutrients, that are vital for health maintenance (Novotni et al. 2011). Cereal grains make important nutrient contribution to the diet in high-income countries as well as in low- and middle-income countries. For instance, in the United States, a high-income country, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 2003–2006 indicates that “yeast bread/rolls”, especially if they contain whole grains, were one of the most nutrient-dense sources of energy, along with beef and milk, for American adults over the age of 19 (O’Neil et al. 2012). They were also a top source of fiber for all Americans over the age of two (O’Neil et al. 2012, Keast et al. 2013). Data from 2011–2014 NHANES indicate that bread, rolls, and tortillas are still one of the top three sources of fiber for U.S. children aged two to 18 (O’Neil et al. 2018). These foods include both “whole meal” and “refined” breads, rolls, and tortillas.
Grains
Christopher Cumo in Ancestral Diets and Nutrition, 2020
Hominy, whose preparation leveraged an intuitive understanding of chemistry, fed Mesoamerica. Its production necessitated immersing corn kernels in alkaline water. Such liquid, having a pH over 7—the number signifying neutrality—may be obtained by dissolving ashes in water. Another option is calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2], known as limewater, whose pH is also above 7. Numbers over 7 signify bases, whereas those below 7 are acids. The greater the pH, the more caustic the solution. Alkaline water is caustic enough to loosen the husk, whose removal increases digestibility of nutrients and calories. For example, the solution separates vitamin B3 from indigestible hemicellulose, permitting the vitamin’s absorption. Greater availability of B3 and amino acid tryptophan protects against pellagra. Husk’s removal eases grinding the rest of the kernel and forming dough. Lacking gluten, the dough does not leaven and is not hominy: the remains of kernels after alkaline water treatment, a process known as nixtamalization. Nixtamalization removes some bran, raising the issue of whether hominy is a whole grain. The USDA categorized nixtamalized corn as whole grain, specifying tortillas made from it as such but omitting reference to hominy.149 Boston, Massachusetts’ Whole Grains Council likewise withheld judgment about hominy.
Anthocyanins of Blue Corn and Tortilla Arrest Cell Cycle and Induce Apoptosis on Breast and Prostate Cancer Cells
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2020
Mónica Y. Herrera-Sotero, Carlos D. Cruz-Hernández, Rosa M. Oliart-Ros, José L. Chávez-Servia, Rosa I. Guzmán-Gerónimo, Vanessa González-Covarrubias, Marian Cruz-Burgos, Mauricio Rodríguez-Dorantes
The production of the dough to prepare tortillas involves the process of nixtamalization, consisting in the soaking and cooking of corn in alkali (limewater), followed by hulling of the kernels. Nixtamalization results in nutritional benefits, such as the increase in calcium content, in the availability of niacin, and the reduction of the mycotoxins present in the maize (14). In a previous report, we observed a change in anthocyanin’s profile in blue corn tortillas due to reactions that result from the alkaline and thermal treatment during nixtamalization. The chemical modifications of anthocyanins were accompanied by an increase in the antioxidant and antiproliferative activity of tortilla extracts over different cancer cell lines, in comparison with extracts obtained from blue corn kernels (15).
Developing a COVID-19 Health Equity Workgroup with CHWs: Answering a Call to Action
Published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2023
Janna Lesser, Martha Castilla, Cynthia Castillo, Juana Escareno, Melissa Flores, Eduardo Gandara, Ludivina Hernandez, Vicky Morales, Pamela Recto, Veronica Vela, Jose Zapata, Annette Zavala-Idar
The Tortilla de mi Vida activity focuses on the importance of the family circle, the community and culture. Just like the tortilla, the corn used to make tortillas is of historical importance in our lives as Latinos/Chicanos. Corn is native to the Americas and is a natural source of wealth of our countries. It is one of the basic foods and one of the main ingredients in meals, whether it be traditional or regional meals. Loaded with health benefits, it is delicious and can be adapted to hundreds of typical, unique, and modern dishes. For this lesson, the participants were provided with a paper that had the image below.
Dietary Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load and Risk of Breast Cancer by Molecular Subtype in Mexican Women
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2019
Christian H. Guerrero, Brenda Gamboa-Loira, Ángel Mérida-Ortega, Lizbeth López-Carrillo
We report here that consumption of foods containing simple carbohydrates (that are more rapidly bioavailable, i.e., high GI), but not foods high in both simple and complex carbohydrates (i.e., high GL), increases the risk for luminal A, HER2+, and TN BC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to find that consumption of food with high GI, but not high GL, increase the risk of BC according to molecular subtype of tumors in Latin American women. In this population the consumption of flour and corn tortillas were the most important contributors to the GI and GL.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Maize
- Wheat
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