Alternativas de tratamiento de agua nixtamalizada: una propuesta de uso con cepas algales

Abstract

The tortilla is an indispensable food in the diet of Mexicans, and those and its derivatives are mainly made from nixtamalized maize dough. The nixtamalization of maize is a heat-alkaline cooking process necessary to obtain good quality dough, as it induces changes in the structure of the grain, such as its chemical composition and nutritional value. In Mexico, 2,437,552 tons of maize/year are subjected to the process of nixtamalization to obtain flour, which represents at least 4,875,103.99 m3 of water used in the process, which is subsequently discarded. Due to the large amount of organic matter it possesses, as well as its high alkalinity, it is considered a major source of pollution. Within the methods for the remediation of nejayote water, the use of micro and macro algal strains has gained relevance for its remediation capacity, nutrient recovery and production of biomass of commercial interest. Thus, this paper presents a use proposal of algal strains for the treatment of nejayote waste water.