Título del libro: Amaranth Biology, Chemistry, And Technology
Título del capítulo: Popping amaranth grain, state of the art
MARIA DE LOS ANGELES VALDIVIA LOPEZ;
Autores externos:
Idioma:
Inglés
Año de publicación:
2018
Resumen:
The most conspicuous way of consuming grain amaranth in Mexico is by popping the seed in a hot plate, first cleaning the seed of soil and plant debris that has remained from harvest. Even wet treatment of the seeds with mild soda ash solutions (?tequesquite water?) follows the cleaning process by small processors in the Central Highlands of Mexico; this water addition seems to improve the popping capability of the seed. After popping the seeds, honey or saccharose solutions are added; the seeds are agglomerated and form what is called ?alegrías? candies which means ?many joys? in Spanish; these candies resemble small cakes and are still sold in several cities of Central Mexico. These operations, from harvest to the manufacture of the ?alegrías?, take considerable labor as well as time, factors that increase the price of the popped amaranth to the consumer. This way of consuming amaranth grain goes back to pre-Columbian times; 1 thousands of years ago, people managed to identify those plants that contained different chemicals like curare, quinine, and the like; therefore it would be reasonable to believe that among the dwellers of the old Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, someone discovered that heat exposure to the amaranth seed makes it pop into small white kernels similar to popcorn. In northern India, amaranth is popped and consumed just the same as in Central Mexico; in the former country, A. hypochondriacus is planted at 8000 ft above sea level and in the plains. 2,3 Organoleptic changes occur in the grain after popping, sort of a nutty and certainly pleasant flavor. On the other hand, the size of the popped seed is about four to seven times the size of the raw seed; apparent density of the popped grain is decreased, and if the seed is overheated during the popping operation, it is roasted and nutrient losses can be detected. 4 In Mexico there are two main locations where amaranth grain is industrially popped, Tulyehualco, D.F. and the town of San Miguel del Milagro, Tlaxcala. In these villages, besides using the traditional hot plate, there are two approaches to the popping operation: (1) a fluid bed system in which the seeds are cleaned and then popped and (2) a vibrating hot plate. In the U.S., workers at the Rodale Research Center have been very active disseminating information on amaranth as well as doing some practical developments in the popping of the seed, i.e., a bench scale amaranth popper in 1980 and air-drying of just post-harvested grain.5 © 1994 by CRC Press, Inc.
Entidades citadas de la UNAM:
ISBN:
9781351078054
Editorial:
CRC Press Nombre de la publicación:
Popping amaranth grain, state of the art
Página inicial:
143
Página final:
154
