Staged Stone, Decortication, and Cylinder Grinding for Stable Flour
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing grinding methods in the milling sector, such as stone, cylinder, and decortication, fail to combine the advantages of producing high-quality whole grain flour while preserving nutritional properties and maintaining product stability, consistency, and gluten formation, due to limitations in wet processing, separation of components, and energy inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A cereal grain grinding method involving stone grinding of a dry portion to produce two products with different sizes, followed by decortication and cylinder grinding of a wet and conditioned portion, then mixing these products to achieve a final product with enhanced nutritional properties and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If stone grinding method is used, then nutritional properties are preserved, but product consistency and gluten formation are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The grain processing is divided into multiple sequential stages: stone grinding for nutritional preservation, decortication for bran removal, and cylinder grinding for final flour production. Each stage performs a specific function to optimize both nutritional retention and product consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The grain undergoes preliminary stone grinding and decortication treatments before the final cylinder grinding. These preliminary actions prepare the grain by preserving nutrients and removing outer layers, making the subsequent grinding more effective and consistent.
2Productivity
If cylinder grinding method is used, then production efficiency is high, but nutritional properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The grinding process is segmented into preliminary stone grinding (for nutrition) followed by cylinder grinding (for efficiency). This segmentation allows each method to perform its optimal function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Stone grinding and decortication are performed as preliminary actions before cylinder grinding. This preliminary treatment preserves nutritional properties while preparing the grain for efficient high-speed cylinder grinding.
3Manufacturing precision
If decortication is performed before grinding, then bran removal is improved, but product yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Decortication is performed as a preliminary action between stone grinding and cylinder grinding. This timing optimizes bran removal effectiveness while minimizing yield loss by removing only the outermost layers after the grain has been softened by initial grinding.
4Loss of time
If grain is ground in a single pass, then processing time is reduced, but product stability over time is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The single-pass grinding is segmented into multiple stages (stone grinding, decortication, cylinder grinding) that can be performed in sequence. Although this increases processing time, each stage contributes to product stability by progressively refining the grain while preserving nutritional properties.
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 method produces a final product rich in fibers, minerals, vitamins, and fats, with improved stability and repeatability, suitable for large-scale production, while reducing energy consumption and investment costs, and enhancing gluten formation.
Implementation Method 1
The millstones are superimposed one each other and have the function of grinding the grain. The distance between the two stones, and therefore the grain size of the output product, is adjustable. It has an energetic, coarse and violent crushing
Implementation Method 2
Through mills equipped with pairs of metal cylinders rotating in the opposite direction, the grain breaking occurs. This type of grinding appears to be very progressive, more precise and more delicate than the stone grinding, as the breaking, unraveling and re-grinding of the beans takes place in multiple steps
Implementation Method 3
The decortication has the purpose of removing the outer layers of the pericarp from the wheat grains before proceeding to the grinding
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for grinding cereal grains which includes both the stone grinding step (c) and the decortication (d) and subsequent cylinder grinding (e). A final product (E1) is thus obtained having good reliability from the point of view of stability and repeatability/reproducibility over the time, while maintaining the advantages obtainable with the grinding methods taken individually. It is also capable of being used on large production lines and thus meeting the needs ranging from the small laboratory to the large industry. Moreover, the final product obtained with the method of the present invention has a much longer useful life than the use of single grinding processes (stone or cylinder grindings), and allows savings from the energy point of view, compared to the sum of the consumption due to the use of the individual known in the art grinding technologies.