A comparative study of the hydrothermal behavior of four corn flours and their starches in Madagascar

In Madagascar, maize constitutes the third staple food. Traditionally, cereal gruel (made up from rice or maize flour) is the supplementary food for Malagasy children. This work involved a comparative study of the hydrothermal behavior of four maize flours sold on the market and their starches, in order to identify their best use in food systems, especially in infant nutrition. Studies of functional properties such as swelling power, solubility and viscosity were undertaken. At 90°C, the swelling power value range was between 4.81 (g/g) and 8.2 (g/g) for flours and between 6.72 (g/g) and 9.1 (g/g) for their starches. While solubility was 11.8 (%) and 16.4 (%) for flours at the same temperature (90°C), for starches, it was between 12.6 (%) and 22.8 (%). The viscosity peaked at 90°C, ranging from 648 (cP) to 2728 (cP) for flours and from 220 (cP) to 2268 (cP) for starches.