My understanding about the pellagra, is that is happens when corn is not nixtamalized as ancient customs always did.

Corn is universally nixtamalized when prepared for consumption as flour. This is a process of soaking corn in an alkaline solution to release niacin (vitamin B 3) and then hulling. Modern corn tortillas, chips, and corn meals have either no corn bran or germ, or have very little corn bran or germ. They also are nixtamalized.

If a food has the entire corn kernel in it, and it has not gone through a thorough fermentation process it probably is very high in anti-nutrients like phytic acid and lectins. I am certain that food products containing the entire corn kernel, either as it is, or as sprouted corn should be avoided.

www.healingourchildren.net/Pregnancy_Diet/whole_grains_pregnancy.htm

Years later it was discovered that the traditional Aztec practice of processing corn with an alkali such as wood ash or lime (called nixtamalization) releases niacin trapped in the outer shell of the kernel.

http://www.foodasmedicine.ca/3-blog/page/11/

I lived in El Salvador for 9 months and the Masa Harina corn flour that they use for tortillas (eaten every day as a staple) was first nixtamalized.
When I have bought Masa Harina up in Canada, it says nixtamalized on the label.

I think that your "pickling lime" and soaking must be accomplishing the same thing. If you skip those steps, you do not have a nutritionally available food.