ABSTRACT
Changes in our dietary habit have brought some of the serious health problems, for instance, levels of obesity-linked non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hypertension are highest among indigenous communities in North America. This is linked to changes in dietary pattern towards high calorie foods such as sugar, refi ned grain fl our, and sweetened beverages. Return to traditional dietary pattern may help to reduce these disease problems because of better balance of calories and benefi cial nutrients. Further, protective non-nutrient phenolic phytochemicals against non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hypertension are potentially high in these foods, but less understood. The antidiabetic-and antihypertension-relevant potentials of phenolic phytochemicals have been confi rmed in select important traditional plant foods of indigenous communities including maize (corn) using in vitro enzyme assays for glucosidase, α-amylase, and angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activities (Kwon et al., 2007). In vitro inhibitory activities of these enzymes provide a strong biochemical rationale for further in vivo studies and dietary management strategy for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus through
the control of glucose absorption and reduction of associated hypertension. These enzyme inhibitory activities have been further compared to total soluble phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the above-targeted plant foods; this phenolic antioxidant-enriched dietary strategy using specifi c traditional plant food combinations can generate a whole food profi le that has the potential to reduce hyperglycemia-induced pathogenesis and also associated complications linked to cellular oxidation stress and hypertension. The maize consumed has not only high amounts of carotenoids, tocopherols, and oil content but also is rich in starch and protein contents compared with other major cereals, such as rice and wheat. Prolamins (zeins) are the main storage proteins in maize grain. There are limited investigations related to prolamin content on tortilla texture, mainly consumed in Mexico and to some extent in North America. For determining the effect of prolamins on tortilla quality, six normal and six Quality Protein Maize genotypes were studied by Sanchez et al. (2007). The chemical variables comprised prolamins, amylose and starch in whole grain and endosperm. Viscosity of the raw endosperm fl our was determined as well as the tortilla texture, expressed in terms of tension force and elongation. Prolamin content in the normal maize was 64% higher than in the Quality Protein Maize. Tortillas with the best texture characteristics were from H-161 normal maize and H-143 Quality Protein Maize; both genotypes showed the smallest grain in its respective group. It appears that a high prolamin content in maize grain is affecting tortilla elongation.
