/ Introduction / Future / Nutrition

Nutritional Considerations in Tortillas
for the New Millennium

Fortified tortillas will lead to new marketing strategies in Mexico. Soybean fortified tortillas will replace vitamin fortified tortillas due to their nutritional benefits, greater stability during cooking, and ease of handling. This will make possible important health benefits for the population and productivity advances for both private enterprise and the country.

There are still many secrets to be discovered about corn and tortillas, don't you think?

Whole Grain Tortillas

Whole grain tortillas that make efficient use of the entire pericarp of the corn kernel can be produced with the new ecological dry nixtamalization technology. Whole grain tortillas incorporate nutrients from the outer layers (pericarp) of the corn kernel that are lost during the traditional nixtamalization process, including important quantities of high quality proteins (lysine and tryptophan), vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, which make for a more nutritious tortilla. The nutrients available in whole grain tortillas help to avoid cardiovascular disease and colon cancer.
Other tendencies in the new millennium will include commercial use of Quality Protein Maize (QPM), mutant corn with a high content of the amino acids lysine and tryptophan. The development of genetically modified corn using soybean or amaranth genes to increase the lysine and tryptophan content of both corn and tortillas can also be foreseen.