| Tortillas are the second most popular bread type in the United States and comprise 32% of the bread market sales, trailing white bread by only 2%. Challenges in the tortilla industry include consistency during processing and quality of the products. The effect of leavening agent, process temperature and storage time on the physical properties of tortillas were studied. The design (3x3x4) consisted of thirty six treatments of leavening agent (1.0, 1.2, and 1.4%), temperature (191, 232, and 249°C), and storage time (1, 7, 14, and 30 days). Physical and textural properties of the tortillas were analyzed. Texture analyses, puncture/extensibility, Kramer shear cell, and compression were conducted along with rollability and peelability. Physical properties such as weight, diameter, thickness, moisture and color were recorded. Significant three way interaction between leavening agent, temperature, and storage time was found for five variables (strength/puncture force, stretchability/puncture distance, b*, C*, and thickness). Rollability and peelability showed significant two way interaction between leavening agent and temperature. Four variables had significant two way interaction between leavening agent and storage time (stretchability/puncture distance, Kramer shear cell distance, compression area and peelability) while six variables had significant interaction between temperature and storage time (compression force, area and gradient, peelability and color scores b* and C*). This study suggests that more physical properties are affected by significant interactions of temperature and storage time and leavening agent and storage time compared to temperature and leavening agent. More studies are needed to determine the efficiency of controlling specific parameters and their effects on key tortilla quality factors. |
