New tortillas can last a month without refrigeration

In the heart of Mexico, a food revolution is quietly taking shape. Food scientist Raquel Gomez is reimagining one of the country’s most iconic foods – the tortilla.

With a vision to provide a longer-lasting, nutrient-rich option, Gomez is developing a wheat flour tortilla infused with probiotics. This innovation has the potential to impact millions, particularly those in impoverished areas where refrigeration is a luxury.

Gomez’s work is more than just a scientific endeavor; it is a mission to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity in Mexico.

Tortillas can spoil quickly

In Mexico, tortillas aren’t just food – they’re a way of life. Every meal revolves around them. Breakfast might include huevos rancheros with tortillas. Lunch often features tacos or quesadillas. Dinner could be a simple tortilla roll with beans or cheese. It’s a staple that shows up on every plate, every day.

But there’s a problem. Tortillas spoil quickly. Fresh corn tortillas, in particular, become inedible within a few days, especially in hot, humid conditions.

Most Mexicans can’t store large quantities because they don’t have refrigerators. So, they buy fresh tortillas daily from neighborhood shops, known as tortillerías.

Tortillas that last

Gomez sees a better way. Instead of buying tortillas every day, why not make one that lasts longer? She’s developed a wheat flour tortilla that can stay fresh for up to a month without refrigeration. That’s unusual. Traditional tortillas start to grow mold in just a few days.

But this isn’t just a scientific experiment. “It was developed with the most vulnerable people in mind,” Gomez said. She’s thinking about families without fridges, those in rural areas where food spoils quickly.

If her tortillas can last a month, that means fewer trips to the market, less money spent, and more security for families struggling to get by.

Probiotics extend shelf life

Probiotics are live microorganisms commonly found in foods like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi. They’re often called “good bacteria” because they promote gut health and aid digestion. But in Gomez’s lab, probiotics are doing more than just that.

The team has incorporated probiotics into their tortilla dough. Most tortillas don’t contain these beneficial microorganisms. But here, they’re the secret weapon. Why? Because probiotics do two critical things.

First, they prevent mold growth. In these probiotic-packed tortillas, the good bacteria outcompete the mold, keeping the tortilla fresh for weeks.

Second, they provide nutritional benefits. Probiotics are known to improve gut health, thus aiding in digestion and boosting the immune system. So, Gomez’s tortilla isn’t just a food item. It’s also a functional food – one that nourishes the body while staying fresh without preservatives.

The result is a tortilla that doesn’t just sit on the shelf – it lasts on the shelf. It remains nutritious. It stays edible. And for families without refrigeration, that’s a game changer.

Fighting malnutrition with tortillas

This isn’t just food science. It’s survival science. Nearly 14% of children under five in Mexico suffer from chronic malnutrition. In Indigenous communities, the number jumps to 27 percent.

Gomez wants her tortilla in those kitchens. Food that lasts means fewer trips to the store, less expense and more meals on the table.

Teresa Sanchez lives in Chiapas, one of Mexico’s poorest states. In her small, wooden house, there’s no refrigerator. She has never owned one. Instead, she cooks on a wood-burning stove, just as her mother and grandmother did. It’s a way of life passed down through generations.

When asked why she doesn’t have a fridge, Sanchez’s answer is simple: “Where are you going to get a refrigerator if there’s no money?” Refrigerators are expensive, and in areas like Chiapas, few families can afford them.

Less waste and more stability

Without refrigeration, keeping food fresh becomes a constant challenge. Sanchez boils meat to preserve it. If it doesn’t get eaten that day, she boils it again the next day. And the day after that. Repeated boiling keeps bacteria at bay, but it also drains nutrients and alters taste.

Gomez knows this cycle all too well. She’s met families like Sanchez’s. She understands the daily struggle to keep food from spoiling.

The new tortilla is designed to last for weeks without a fridge, and to offer a solution for families who can’t afford to lose food to spoilage. For people like Sanchez, it could mean less boiling, less waste, and more stability.

Preservatives or probiotics?

Most tortillas on store shelves are packed with preservatives. Calcium propionate is the common one. It keeps mold away, but there’s a cost.

“One of the most commonly used additives in processed wheat flour tortillas is calcium propionate, which is considered harmful to the colon’s microbiota,” said Guillermo Arteaga, a researcher at the University of Sonora.

Gomez takes a different path. Her tortillas rely on probiotics instead. They are natural, clean and do not contain artificial ingredients.

Right now, Gomez’s tortillas use wheat flour. It’s the go-to in northern Mexico. But in the south, corn rules. Corn is cheaper, more readily available, and more culturally significant.

However, corn also spoils faster. Gomez wants to change that. Her team is working to adapt the probiotic method to corn tortillas. It’s not easy. Different grain requires different fermentation, but it’s worth trying.

Moving the tortillas beyond the lab

In 2023, Gomez’s work seemed poised for a breakthrough. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) signed a deal to distribute her probiotic tortillas. This could have brought the tortillas to stores and, more importantly, to the people who need them most.

But the deal fell through. The reasons aren’t specified, but the outcome is clear – the tortillas never made it to market. They remained in the lab, stuck in the experimental phase.

Despite the setback, Gomez kept pushing forward. In December, she received recognition for her work from the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property. The award acknowledged her innovation and the potential impact of her tortillas.

But while awards validate her efforts, they don’t put food on people’s tables. The tortillas need to move beyond the lab and into the hands of people like Teresa Sanchez, where they can actually help families struggling with food insecurity.

Convincing people to try lab-made tortillas

Gomez faces a tough challenge. In Mexico, fresh tortillas aren’t just food – they’re tradition. Families buy them warm, soft, and straight from neighborhood shops every day.

The idea of a lab-made tortilla, even one packed with probiotics and designed to last a month without a fridge, feels foreign. Gomez knows this. “It was developed with the most vulnerable people in mind,” she says, as if reminding herself why she started.

Gomez wants her tortilla in kitchens like Sanchez’s – a product that can endure the heat, stay fresh, and reduce food waste. But for now, the tortillas remain in the lab, waiting for a chance to reach those who need them most.

Gomez keeps working, keeps testing, keeps hoping. The tortillas haven’t made it to market yet. Maybe they never will. But if they do, they could be more than just food. They could buy time – time to eat, time to save money, time to survive. For families like Sanchez’s, that time could mean everything.

Information for this article was obtained from Agence France-Presse.

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