Enzymatic Nixtamalization: An Improved Corn Masa Flour Production Process

A major concern during commercial masa or instant masa flour production is the proper disposal of the excess waste water generated from the nixtamalization process. Nixtamalization causes partitioning of corn solids between nixtamal and waste water. It has been estimated that corn solids loss during nixtamalization varies between 5-14% depending on corn type & quality. Nejayote waste is highly alkaline, with high chemical and biological oxygen demands (BOD & COD) and is considered an environmental pollutant. A typical corn nixtamalization facility processing 200 US tons of corn every day, uses over 50 gallons of water per minute and generates nearly the equivalent amount of alkaline wastewater in 24 hours