Resumen

MORALES-PEREZ, Jesús  y  VELEZ-RUIZ, Jorge F. Study of the Combined Effect of Drying and Frying on Toasted Tortillas Properties. Inf. tecnol. [online]. 2011, vol.22, n.2, pp. 55-68. ISSN 0718-0764.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-07642011000200007.

A study of the combination of air drying and immersion frying, and their effect on decreasing fat content and other properties of toasted tortillas was done. Drying with hot air (35, 48 and 68 °C) at 2, 4 and 6 m/s was utilized to dry the tortillas, in which the final moisture content was in a range of 6-12%. Frying was conducted with initial moisture of 10% in the tortillas, at 140, 160 and 180 °C and process times of 30, 60, 90 and 120 s to get the toasted tortillas. Faster moisture loss during drying determined lower evaporation rates through the frying and vice versa. There was a significant effect of the drying conditions on the fried product. The toasted product had fat content lower than commercial producís and similar quality attributes. Optimization of the process was carried out using a computer program and the Box-Behnken approach. Model results were compared with experimental data.

Palabras clave : toasted tortillas; drying; frying; process combination.