1Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Jenderal Soedirman University, Street Dr. Soeparno Number 63, Purwokerto, 53122, Indonesia.
*Corresponding Author: Nur Aini, Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Jenderal Soedirman University, Street Dr. Soeparno Number 63, Purwokerto, 53122, Indonesia. Email: nur.aini@unsoed.ac.id
Corn flour represents a promising alternative due to the increasing national corn production; however, its utilization in food products is constrained by the absence of gluten, resulting in inferior viscoelastic and textural properties compared to wheat flour. Therefore, the modification of corn flour is essential to enhance its functional characteristics, enabling broader application in value-added products such as breakfast cereals, which may also contribute to improving nutritional quality and addressing stunting in Indonesia.
Design expert software version 13 was used for statistical analysis. The experiment has been planned in simplex lattice design (SLD) using response surface methodology (RSM) which is an appropriate technic for optimization. The factors tested were the fermentation time (lower limit = 20 hours, upper limit = 60 hours) and the concentrations of starter (lower limit = 0.1%, upper limit = 0.3%). The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Fermentation time plays a more dominant role than starter concentration in influencing the characteristics of fermented corn flour. Increasing fermentation time increases starch viscosity and digestibility and decreases starch content, gelatinization temperature and water absorption due to changes in starch structure during fermentation. Meanwhile, the setback value and soluble protein remain relatively unchanged. Overall, longer fermentation produces corn flour with better functional properties for food applications.
BIMO-CF, Corn flour, Fermentation, Starch modification
