Baking & Snack - May 2004 - 45

INFORMATION UPDATE

Maize to Masa
Whether
making
tortillas
or corn chips,
choosing
the right form
of masa
is key.

T

hrough the ages, breadstuffs have
been produced from nearly all the
cereal grains available to mankind.
In North and Central America,
the primary grain was maize (corn). Most
cereals were simply ground to a dry powder
(ﬂour), mixed with water and other ingredients, then baked in a variety of ways. In
pre-Columbian times, Central American
natives found that by preprocessing maize,
they could make baked foods that were preferable to the simple ﬂour and water product.
The process is known as nixtamalization.
They leached wood ash to make an
alkaline solution from dissolved metal
hydroxides. Cooking maize in this water
loosened the bran and germ, which
were then removed by washing. Cooking also partially gelatinized the starchy
endosperm. The cooked kernels were then
ground into a wet dough (masa) in which
the gelatinized and ungelatinized starch
granules, along with the protein, were
blended to a homogeneous mass. This was
ﬂattened and baked to make tortillas, the
typical breadstuff of this culture.
While these native Americans did not
understand the chemistry or nutritional
quality aspects of nixtamalization, they
recognized the practical effect of such
treatment. This method also improved the
nutritional qualities of the food.
Recent research shows that alkali
cooking releases bound nicotinic acid,
enhancing the niacin content of the food.
Masa also is enriched with minerals derived
from the metal oxides in the cooking water.
Unknowingly, these native Americans were
practicing a form of enrichment long before
the concept occurred to food scientists.
NEW TECHNOLOGY, SAME PROCESS
Modern technology and the rapidly growing demand for tortilla products have

changed the processing details; however,
the underlying molecular changes remain
the same. Today, water used in the cooking process contains a 1% to 2% solution
of food-grade calcium oxide. The maize
is boiled in this solution for ﬁve to 50
minutes, then allowed to steep overnight.
Starch gelatinizes more readily in alkali,
and the usual target for cooking and steeping is to hydrate about half the starch in the
kernels. After washing to remove the bran,
germ and excess alkali, the cooked maize
(nixtamal) is ground into masa or "dough."
The thick, wet mass may be sheeted and cut
to make corn tortillas and chips or extruded
to make corn chips. For corn tortillas, the
shaped dough is simply baked. Tortilla
chips are cut from the sheet, baked, then
fried quickly. Corn chips are not baked;
the moisture is removed during
the frying step.
DRY MASA
ADVANTAGES
The cooked
dough can be
dried, ground, then
sieved (for particle
size control)
to make a
shelf-stable,
ready-to-use
maize masa.
The advantages
of using dry masa,
particularly for smaller manufacturers, are
numerous. Perhaps the

major beneﬁt is avoiding of the considerable investment in equipment for cooking,
steeping, washing and grinding.
A second consideration has to do with
disposal of the byproducts of nixtamalization. About 18% of the maize is discarded
with the wash water. This places a major
biological oxygen demand (BOD) load
on the municipal wastewater treatment
system. In addition, the alkalinity of the
wash water can be a problem.
Finally, using dry masa in a restaurant
or small snack food manufacturing facility
provides ﬂexibility to meet ﬂuctuating demand. The higher initial cost of dry masa is
offset by the savings incurred in the abovenamed factors.
COARSE OR FINE?
In selecting a dry masa, granulation
is of paramount importance. Tortillas for table use (in a restaurant)
require a ﬁne granulation.
This helps retain

ᮣ Different products
call for different
grades of masa, from
coarse for corn chips to extra
ﬁne for table tortillas.
MINSA CORP.

May 2004 / BAKERS PRODUCTION MANUAL / 45
Baking & Snack - May 2004

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