Kirk Oler
The previously submitted grant application outlined research methods that would use ORCA funding. This report is a follow up to the initial ORCA grant application. First, a brief recapitulation of the grant application will be provided. Second will be a description of the actual research with any deviations from the application. Third, the results of the research will be presented.
ORCA Grant Application
Per the application, the primary purpose of this research was “to investigate processing conditions that contribute to folic acid degradation in [micronutrient fortified] corn masa tortillas made in Mexico.” This would be accomplished by testing the following parameters of tortillas/masa with a full factorial design:
These samples were to be collected from a small pilot mill at the Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey, Mexico (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México), then frozen and taken back to BYU for folic acid analysis.
Folic acid would be analyzed by the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) method 86-47. A manuscript of the research would be published in Cereal Chemistry and presented at the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
ORCA Grant Research
Although several changes were made to the research plans outlined in the grant application, the overall quality of the research is better as a result. The main change was the location in Mexico from which the tortilla/masa samples were collected. All other changes were to accommodate this location change. This study was initiated to identify processing conditions that explain the folate degradation seen by Dunn and Serna-Saldivar (2007) in fortified corn tortillas. The samples collected in this study came from a small retail tortilla mill in Guadalajara, Mexico. These samples best represented those used by Dunn and Serna-Saldivar because they were produced in an actual production environment rather than in a simulated production environment like that of a pilot mill.
The following table describes the full factorial experimental design used:
After collection and any applicable storage conditions, all samples were frozen and taken back to BYU for folate analysis.
Folate was analyzed with AOAC method 2004.05 with modifications (Chapman and others).
ORCA Grant Results
Compared to theoretical levels, both types of masa (folic acid encapsulated with saturated fat; folic acid without coating) experienced in-process folate degradation. In both masa types, this degradation increased with increased holding time. In masa, coated (encapsulated in saturated fat) folic acid was more stable than uncoated folic acid. Neither baking nor post-bake storage time cause folate degradation. These results indicate that folate degradation in fortified corn tortillas made in Mexico occurs at two stages: masa storage and masa grinding.
As this research was part of Jordan Chapman’s master’s thesis, he was the principal investigator of the manuscript (see References). The manuscript was submitted during the last week of 2009 by Dr. Michael Dunn (faculty ORCA mentor) to Cereal Chemistry, a widely respected peer-reviewed journal in the field of cereal science. Research results were not presented at the annual nation-wide IFT meeting because of a scheduling conflict with an internship. However, Jordan Chapman did present these findings, in the form of a research poster, at the annual Bonneville Chapter IFT Food and Candy Expo held in Salt Lake City April 7, 2009.
References
- Dunn ML, Serna-Saldivar SO, Turner EH. 2007. Industrial approaches to micronutrient fortification of traditional nixtamal tortillas. Cereal Foods World 52(5):240-248.
- Chapman JS, Steele FM, Eggett D, Johnston P, Dunn ML. 2009. Factors affecting folic acid stability in micronutrient fortified corn tortillas. Unpublished manuscript.