Exploring the functionality of flour tiusinte (Dioon Mejiae). An ancient crop and endemic to Honduras

Abstract

Tiusinte (Dioon Mejiae) is a crop endemic from northeastern of Honduras. Its seeds offer an important carbohydrate source with high potential for use as an agri-food ingredient. The objective of this study was to explore the chemical composition, morphology and technofunctional properties of tiusinte flour, using maize and rice flours as references. The results revealed that tiusinte flour contained high carbohydrate (83.7 g/100 g), protein (11.9 g/100 g) and ash (2.2 g/100 g) contents.Tiusinte starch granules exhibited irregular, ovoid and spherical shapes with sizes between 5 and 20 μm. In terms of functionality, the tiusinte flour exhibited intermediate values for water absorption (WAC), oil (OAC), emulsion properties (EA and ES) and foam stability (FS) compared to references. Moreover, lowest swelling power (SP) values were observed in tiusinte flour, indicating the presence of starch highly resistent to swelling and rupture. Overall, these results highlight the potential of tiusinte as a new source of flour with unique physicochemical and techno-functional characteristics, give it a good development potential in the food industry.