Evaluación de la harina de maíz precocida producida por la empresa Simaa Cia. Ltda.

Abstract

Corn cultivation in Ecuador has increased in recent years, which has been a triggering factor for food processing companies seeking to add value to this raw material and, as a result, generate quality food. This research aimed to evaluate the precooked corn flour produced by SIMAA CIA. LTDA. as part of the development of a new product. The samples were elaborated using raw corn flour subjected to precooking using an extruder. Different levels of temperature (104°C-115°C) and conditioning (500ml/min-1000ml/min) were used, generating four treatments with the interaction of these variables. Bromatological analysis (moisture, ash, protein, fat, fiber) and physical analysis (granulometry, colorimetry) were performed, and data were analyzed with ADEVA and Tukey tests to identify significant differences between samples. Sample T°104+A500ML was the best treatment due to its protein content (8.01%), which was higher than the other treatments. The ash, fat, and fiber values exceeded the values required by INEN1737 standards, and in the case of particle size, the retention percentages did not reach the required values but were close. In the microbiological analysis (molds and yeasts), the absence of molds and yeasts was reported in all treatments. Regarding the sensory evaluation, a duo-trio test was applied to the selected sample, and it was determined that there were perceptible differences when compared with standard precooked corn flour. The production costs of the precooked corn flour were $16.99 per 12.34kg produced as PVP was set at 0.85ctvs per 1kg of product.