The following is a practical and economical method that can be used in the tortilla factory. A laboratory oven is suitable for this application and should be able to dry several samples at once. This minimizes the time needed per sample analysis versus using a moisture balance, which can only dry one sample at a time.
Procedure:
1. Weigh a small glass or metal container.
2. Weigh 10 g of the tortilla ground in a coffee grinder into the container.
3. Dry the sample for 24 hours in a 105-110°C oven.
4. Reweigh the sample, subtract the weight of the container, and determine the moisture content using the following equation:
Mt = ((Ww-Wd)/Ww) x 100
in which:
Mt = moisture content (%) of tortilla
WW = wet weight of the sample, and
Wd = weight of the sample after drying.
By: Daniel J. Brooker
Copyright 2010