Having worked in Research and Development for many years, I am very familiar with the functions of these ingredients, otherwise I would not be using them in our tortillas. I thought I would take this opportunity to review functional ingredients that may be unfamiliar to some of our customers and clear up any misconceptions.
Guar Gum:
Guar is a natural derivation from the Guar plant, which is commonly added to tortillas as a way to improve flexibility and increase shelf life. Organic Guar Gum is readily available, and is approved by FDA Standards, the USDA guidelines for Certified Organic Products and the Non-GMO Project Standards. Guar is not considered an allergen by the FDA and is considered GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe). We use Guar sparingly in our corn tortillas to improve texture and flexibility with improved customer experience.
Sunflower Lecithin:
Sunflower lecithin is an emulsifier and dough conditioner of natural origin which acts to soften the tortilla and bind water to make the dough less sticky during processing.
Calcium Hydroxide:
Labeled as “Trace of Lime” in our ingredient statement, calcium hydroxide is the necessary ingredient used in the nixtamalization process of cooking corn to gelatinize starches, release healthy nutrients and produce natural emulsifiers that tenderize the finished tortilla. This is used only in corn tortillas.
Cultured Wheat Starch/Flour:
Whether in starch or flour form, this is a natural preservative that is approved for use in natural and organic tortillas. Fermentation of wheat flour or wheat starch produces organic acids which help to minimize microbial growth in our shelf stable tortillas and coincidentally contributes a beneficial flavor to the finished food.
Maltodextrin:
Technically speaking, maltodextrin is a short chain saccharide which acts as a carrier for other ingredients. It has no functionality that would impact the tortillas final performance. It’s only along for the ride.
At Mi Rancho, we are committed to improving the consumer experience by defining these terms and the ingredient functions. We will continue to highlight unique ingredients in ongoing discussions via this webpage. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via our contact us page.