PLANTAIN FLOUR (MUSA PARADISIACA L.) IN COMBINATION WITH MAIZE FLOUR FOR THE PREPARATION OF TORTILLAS

Abstract

Tortillas are the main food product in Nicaragua and are part of the diet of all social status. The objective of this research was to study the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of tortillas made from a mixture of plantain and corn to determine in what proportion corn can be substituted without affecting the quality of the tortilla. The corn and plantain flours were mixed to obtain the following three mixtures: M1 = 70/30, M2 = 50/50 and M3 = 60/40 (% corn and plantain). The color and texture of the tortilla were determined in three storage times to see the changes at each moment. For the analysis of the variables, it was observed that the mixture closest to the physicochemical characteristics and the time of storage of the control tortillas was the mixture M1 = 70/30, which presented a better attribute, unlike the other formulations (50/50, 60/40). Based on the results, it can be concluded that the mixture of 70/30 flours (M1) can be used to produce tortillas without effecting preferences. With the sensory analysis, it was possible to identify that the attribute best evaluated by the consumer was the texture of the tortilla made with this mixture. For the production costs of the selected mix, to produce 100 bags of plantain flour in combination with corn flour, it is necessary to invest $ 1624.27 córdobas, which results in a cost per tortilla unit of $ 1.29.