CHARACTERIZATION OF TORTILLAS MARKETED IN TLAZALA, MEXICO BY USING HIERARCHICAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Abstract

Tortillas are one of the most important foods for the Mexican’s nutrition. The industrialization of the manufacturing process led to changes in final product quality. The aim of this study was to group and to identify the best tortilla from Tlazala, Mexico market. Ten industrial and artisanal samples were analyzed from chemical, textural and sensory point of view. Taking into account these characteristics, the samples were grouped by using hierarchical cluster analysis. The differences between groups were interpreted by mean comparison and analysis of variance. Three groups resulted, the first composed of machine made tortillas, the second from 100% maize grain nixtamalized in situ and the third comprised blue tortilla mechanically made from maize grain. The best characteristics were observed for the second group, mostly composed of artisanal tortillas. The results showed that the best tortilla is traditionally made, from 100% local maize grain, using a wood griddle.