Nutritional composition of corn and flour tortillas

Corn and flour tortillas were sampled at 2-wk intervals for 6 wk from five tortilla factories and the nutritional composition determined. Corn tortillas were found to be slightly lower in protein, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin when compared to white enriched bread. A lowering of the pH of the corn masa to 7.3 or lower improved the retention of these vitamins. Flour tortillas were found to be comparable in nutrition to white enriched bread when enriched wheat flour was used in the manufacture of tortillas. A wide variation was found to exist in the nutrient composition of both corn and flour tortillas manufactured by the different factories. This variation is attributed to different formulation procedures at the tortilla factories.