Comparison of Minerals, Ferulic Acid, Antioxidant, and Anti-inflammatory Properties of Products from Raw Maize and Germinated Maize with Selenium

In this research, maize kernels were hydrated with sodium selenite (50 mg/L), germinated for 48 h at 22 ± 1 °C, and subsequently subjected to a nixtamalization. In raw and germinated maize with and without Se, the mineral profiles of nixtamal, nejayote, and tortilla were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and free and bound ferulic acid (FA) contents were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet (HPLC–UV). All samples were subjected to a simulated digestion to evaluate their cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) and anti-inflammatory activities. The Se content in Se–tortilla and Se–germinated maize kernels was respectively 0.76 and 2.87 μg/g, dry weight (dw). Se–germinated maize kernels had 181% more bound FA content, 32% more CAA, and 43% more anti-inflammatory activity compared to germinated maize kernels. Nixtamal, nejayote, and tortilla from raw maize had the highest percentages of CAAs and anti-inflammatory activities of all samples. Zn, Ca, K, Mg, and Mn contents were similar in all tortilla treatments.