Continuous enzymatic precooking for the production of an instant corn flour for snack and tortilla

Abstract

Precooked and partially debranned corn flour is continuously produced by an enzymatic precooking using a commercial endoxylanase and endoamylase blend as a processing aid. The low-temperature and near neutral-pH precooking with an endoxylanase and endoamylase solution effects a partial hydrolysis of bran and starchy cell-walls with a controlled gelatinization and reduced conditioning and corn solid loss in wastewater. Moisture content is then stabilized after washing, followed by milling and drying at a high temperature for a short time to produce a partial gelatinization in the ground kernel, cooling and further drying the dried-milled particle. A fine particle size or flour is separated and recovered from the coarser particle which is also segregated to isolate a light bran fraction for integral flour or feed use, remilling and sieving the coarser particle to produce an instant corn flour for snack chip and corn-based food, and admixing the fine particle with lime to obtain a masa flour for tortillas and the like.