LAUSR

BACKGROUND Black corn possesses potent antioxidants, which are mostly lost during the processing. In the present study we evaluated the antioxidant content of two different black (Millo corvo) corn-based products (ie, tortillas and cookies) subject to moderate processing. A parallel study on white and yellow corns were carried out for comparison. RESULTS Raw Millo corvo flour exhibited higher content of phenolic acids, flavonoids and, particularly, anthocyanins than white and yellow flours. Phenolic acids decreased in cookies but they did not in tortillas; flavonoids did not exhibit a clear tendency and anthocyanins were always preserved. Antioxidant activity (AA) obtained for Millo corvo samples was twice as high as the value measured in white and yellow corns in terms of DPPH radical scavenging activity. The difference in AA was even more remarkable in terms of photochemiluminiscence (PCL) antiradical activity. The conditions used during the cookie-making process enabled the natural antioxidant characteristics of Millo corvo to be preserved. However, the conditions applied to prepare tortillas resulted in major losses. CONCLUSIONS The initial phenolics, in particular anthocyanins, and AA of Millo corvo flour can be maintained during the processing as long as the conditions applied are 183°C for 20 min in absence of high-water content. Millo corvo products possess improved antioxidant characteristics as compared with those from white and yellow corns. Millo corvo is a promising black corn type to prepare health promoting corn-based foodstuffs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.