ABSTRACT

Tortilla is ancestral unleavened bread obtained after lime-cooking or nixtamalization of corn (Zea mays L.) kernels, which are further ground into a cohesive dough or masa, which is subsequently formed into fl at disks and baked into tortillas. Tortillas are still the single major food item consumed in Mexico and other Central America countries and greatly affect the nutritional status of the average population (Serna-Saldivar and Rooney 2003). In Mexico, the corn tortilla is still the single most widely consumed food with an average per capita consumption of 78.5 kg in 2012.