Fiber of the maize tortilla.

Fiber concentrations were measured in maize tortillas and in masa, the lime-treated dough from which they are made, with the aid of Van Soest's methods. Neutral detergent fiber of tortillas was 6.60 +/- 0.98% (mean and SD) and acid detergent fiber 3.75 +/- 0.83% of the dry weight corrected for ash. The hemicellulose fraction was 2.89 +/- 0.94%. Both neutral and acid detergent fiber were significantly higher in tortilla than in masa. The gain in fiber by tortillas during baking is attributed to the formation of browning reaction (Maillard) products resistant to the detergent-containing fiber reagents.