Acid Precooking Corn Flour Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing pregelatinized corn flours result in excessive pregelatinization and denaturation, leading to high costs, poor texture, and quality limitations in cereal-based snacks, and fail to efficiently produce ultrafine and fine corn flours for dairy-based and cereal-based foods while generating significant wastewater and solid losses.
Innovation Solution
An acid precooking process using sulfites as a processing aid for partial hydrolysis of insoluble fiber and starch, combined with centrifugal air separation to control starch pregelatinization and protein denaturation, reducing kernel washing and solid losses, and achieving uniform partial cooking for efficient production of ultrafine and fine corn flours.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If conventional alkaline cooking and washing processes are used to produce nixtamalized corn flour, then pericarp removal is achieved, but excessive fiber remains in the final product and significant solid losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the cooking process by using acid (pH 3.0-5.0) instead of conventional alkali, and controls temperature (70-90°C) and time (15-60 minutes) to achieve selective hydrolysis of insoluble fiber while preserving starch and protein, thereby reducing fiber content in the final product without excessive solid losses
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical washing process with chemical hydrolysis using acid treatment, which selectively degrades insoluble fiber in the pericarp without requiring extensive washing, thereby reducing both solid losses and fiber content in the final flour product
2Productivity
If excessive pregelatinization and denaturation occur during cooking, then cooking efficiency is improved, but product quality and texture deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial hydrolysis by controlling acid concentration (0.1-1.0% v/v) and treatment time (15-60 minutes) to achieve only the desired degree of fiber breakdown without excessive pregelatinization or protein denaturation, maintaining optimal product quality while improving cooking efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pH control (maintaining pH 3.0-5.0 during treatment) as a feedback mechanism to monitor and control the hydrolysis process, ensuring that fiber degradation occurs to the appropriate extent while preventing excessive cooking that would damage starch and protein quality
3Productivity
If traditional milling and separation processes are used, then flour production is achieved, but ultrafine and fine corn flours cannot be efficiently produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses air classification (pneumatic separation) to efficiently separate ultrafine, fine, and coarse flour fractions based on particle size and density, enabling high-efficiency production of specific flour fineness grades that traditional mechanical milling cannot achieve
4Quantity of substance
If sulfiting reducing agents are used during steeping, then starch extraction is improved, but excessive pregelatinization and protein denaturation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical environment from reducing agents to acid treatment at controlled pH (3.0-5.0) and temperature (70-90°C), which achieves starch gelatinization and fiber hydrolysis without causing excessive protein denaturation, thereby maintaining protein quality while improving starch extraction
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process results in higher nutritional value corn flours with reduced wastewater and solid losses, improved texture, and increased yield of ultrafine and fine corn flours, suitable for dairy-based and cereal-based foods, while minimizing wastewater generation and operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
achieves continuous partial hydrolysis of insoluble fiber
Implementation Method 2
centrifugal separating and recovering the ultrafine grind
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A process and apparatus for the continuous production of pregelatinized corn flours for dairy-based and cereal-based foods, includes an acid precooking with a sodium metabisulfite, or sodium hydrogen sulfite or sodium sulfite solution as a food processing aid for partial hydrolysis of insoluble fiber, starch and protein, along with a controlled pregelatinization and denaturation, kernel washing , stabilizing moisture content for grinding, milling and drying preconditioned kernel to produce a partial gelatinization, cooling and drying the dry-ground particle, separation and recovery of the ultrafine grind from the coarser grind while the latter is further aspirated to remove a light corn bran and further reground to produce bran flour, remilling and sieving the isolated coarser grind to obtain fine corn flour for cereal-based foods, and admixing only fine flour with lime to produce a masa flour. An ultrafine corn flour is used as an aid or adjuvant flour for dairy-based foods.