Importance

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Abstract

The invention relates to the dough and pancake industry, and all new industries wherein a product undergoes nixtamalization. The invention more particularly relates to a nixtamalization process involving a rotary reactor, having improved operation parameters that are defined for optimum operation. The conditions of the inventive system are advantageous over those of prior art systems in that the resulting rotary reactor parameter levels produce a good-quality product while reducing the amount of fuel consumed per amount of finished product. The aforementioned conditions are as follows: the speed of rotation of the reactor, which is between 25 and 30 seconds per revolution; the temperature of the heating jacket, which is between 130 and 300° C.; the supply of steam to the nixtamalization chamber is either continuous or intermittent with a break period of between 20 and 120 seconds and injection of steam for between 30 and 90 seconds; the start nixtamalization temperature which is maintained at least between 60 and 70° C. and the end nixtamalization temperature which is maintained at between 85 and 90° C., while the post-nixtamalization conditioning water is maintained at a temperature between ambient temperature and 55° C.

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First Claim