Specific Anthocyanin Contents of Whole Blue Maize Second-Generation Snacks: An Evaluation Using Response Surface Methodology and Lime Cooking Extrusion

Lime cooking extrusion (LCE) is a widely applied technology for producing second-generation snacks, as an alternative to traditional nixtamalization (TN). Pigmented maize has been used to produce snacks with similar organoleptic characteristics to TN products and to obtain a product with additional functional benefits due to the anthocyanic compounds contained in those grains. However, during the process, anthocyanins are degraded, and several chemical modifications occur. Response surface methodology is applied to evaluate extrusion factors and their effects on the response variables of extrudates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in specific anthocyanins after extrusion in second-generation blue maize snacks. Three anthocyanins were identified and quantified by HPLC-UV-DAD: cyanidin 3-glucoside and pelargonidin 3-glucoside, which have been previously reported in blue maize and its products, and cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside. Higher retention values were found in the extrudates making LCE a viable option for producing second-generation blue maize snacks.