Soy Fortified Tortillas Gain Acceptance in Guatemala

Soy fortified tortillas are introduced into Guatemala with positive results.

Soybeans (Glycine max) are gaining recognition throughout the world as a “miracle crop.” The soybean’s rich balance of macro nutrients and its high quality protein content render it attractive as a major dietary component. The Benson Institute, like other organizations concerned with international nutrition, supports research that leads to soybean incorporation into the diets of undernourished people across the globe.

Soybeans contain carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, the three macro nutrients required for regular body maintenance (American Soybean Association [ASA], 1998). In addition, soybeans provide micro nutrients, such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Soy oil notably contains both linoleic and linolenic fatty acids, which can be acquired only through the diet. These essential fatty acids serve as precursors for hormones that control smooth muscle contraction, regulate blood pressure, and contribute to cell growth (ASA, 1998).

Soy flour, like soy oil, also provides important nutrients. Its high protein content (approximately 40 percent) provides a balance of essential amino acids comparable to that of animal protein sources. In fact, authorities consider the protein quality of soy to approach that of milk, meat, and eggs; however, soybeans offer the extra benefits of low saturated fat levels and lack of cholesterol (ASA, 1998).

Because of its amino acid composition, soy flour is a fitting complement to cereal grains. Corn, a cereal grain, and the dietary staple crop of many Latin American countries, notoriously lacks lysine, an essential dietary amino acids. On the other hand, corn has high-levels of sulfur-containing amino acids. This protein composition is well-balanced by legumes, such as the soybean, since they have sufficient dietary levels of lysine, but they lack the required levels of sulfur amino acids, which can be provided by corn. Thus, corn and soybeans together provide a better nutritional balance than either one of the crops alone.

Considering that the Guatemalan diet centers on corn, the particular nutrient balance of soy provides great motivation for incorporating it into this diet. According to the nutrition diagnostic completed by the Benson Institute in 1995 (see article, page 6), the people living in the communities of Salitrón, Chancó, and Corral de Piedra consume a diet deficient in high-quality protein. For this reason, the Benson Institute has considerable interest in helping them to add soy to their diet. In order to maximize the possibility of long-term success in this effort, it is best to introduce the soybean unintrusively. To achieve this objective, Benson Institute students and personnel—Maria Elisa Fajardo, Malaquías Flores, Lorena Romero, and Aura Marina Palma—carried out acceptability tests of soybean-fortified tortillas in the three communities.

The objective of this study focused on improving the food-nutrition situation among people in the rural communities of Salitrón, Chancó, and Corral de Piedra. The group chose the tortilla as a medium for introducing soy into the diet, primarily because of the tortilla’s prevalence in the diet of the community members, and the ease with which soy can be integrated into the corn meal. In these acceptability studies, the researchers invited the community members to share their opinion of the taste, smell, color, and appearance of the different soy/corn tortilla mixtures.

The research group prepared four different types of tortillas. The control (mixture 0) consisted of the standard tortilla recipe using only corn flour. Mixture 1 contained 87.5 percent corn flour and 12.5 percent soy flour. Mixture 2 contained 75 percent corn and 25 percent soy, while mixture 3 contained 70 percent corn and 30 percent soy. See Table 1 for a nutrient comparison in the different corn/soy mixtures.

The acceptability tests focused on the women of the communities. Each woman completed two tests for the different tortilla mixtures. In the first, a general acceptability test, the women indicated whether they liked, disliked, or if they felt indifferent about them. The next test asked specific opinions regarding the taste, texture, smell, and general appearance of the tortillas.

Twenty-eight women participated in the study, and their responses were organized by community. The results were similar in all of the communities. However, in Salitrón, the women proved to be more discriminating with respect to smell, taste, and color.

The results from the first acceptability test indicate that the soy-fortified tortillas can potentially gain acceptability in these three communities. The data indicate that the most widely accepted mixture is that which consists completely of corn; the other mixtures are decreasingly acceptable as the soy content increases. These were the results expected; however, the encouraging finding is that even while the acceptability decreases as the soy increases, the large majority of the women responded positively to all three of the mixtures, as indicated in Table 2.

With regard to specific characteristics, the results from the second test indicate general acceptance of the various tortilla mixtures. Again, while the pure corn mixture is most widely accepted, the others elicit high acceptance rates. In fact, as shown on Table 3, the corn-soy mixtures receive the highest texture ratings.

Nutritionist on the Benson Institute staff in Chiquimula, Guatemala, report that while making home visits in the communities, they have found that several of the families use soy in their tortillas when it is available. Among the families that use soy, many of the mothers report that their spouses and children like the tortillas, so they continue to add soy. However, many families do not cultivate soy, indicating that there remains room for progress in increasing soybean cultivation and consumption in the communities.

The positive response to soy-fortified tortillas encourages Benson Institute researchers. This high-quality protein source would effectively complement the corn that is already so important in the diet of these rural Guatemalans. Expanding the group of test participants would be helpful in assessing the opinion of men and children in relation to the soy-fortified tortillas. Also, programs to encourage soy cultivation must continue. If these efforts prove effective, soy-fortified tortillas could represent the next valuable step in improving the nutrition of rural Guatemalans.

Work Cited

American Soybean Association. (1998). Health benefits of soy. American Soybean Association technical bulletin (Online). Available: http://www.pacweb. net.sg/asa/technical/hn-sb.html (1999, January 20).

Top