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Effect of Mill Plate Setting and Number of Dynamic Steeping Stages for an Intermittent Milling and Dynamic Steeping (IMDS) Process for Corn

¹Former postdoctoral research associate, visiting assistant professor, and professor, respectively, Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801. Mention of product or trade names does not imply endorsement by the University of Illinois. ²Corresponding author. Present address: USDA/ARS/ERRC, 600 E. Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038. E-mail: vsingh@arserrc.gov ³Professor, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801.

Effect of corn degermination mill parameters (clearance between mill plates and rpm) were assessed on the broken germ and number of whole kernels in mash so as to optimize the cracking procedure for the intermittent milling and dynamic steeping (IMDS) process. The dynamic steep time and number of intermittent milling stages for the IMDS process were also optimized for maximum starch recovery. A comparison was made between the IMDS and the conventional steeping process for fraction yields. A clearance of 0.45–0.48 cm between the plates gave the most optimum processing conditions (minimum broken germ and least amount of whole kernels in mash after cracking). Effect of rpm on germ damage and kernel cracking was not significant when optimum clearance between the degermination plates was maintained. Two stages of intermittent milling with a dynamic steep time of 30 min or higher was recommended because it produced the highest yield of starch and germ. Comparison of the IMDS process with the conventional wet-milling process showed that starch and gluten yield increased by 1.6 and 4.26%, respectively, in the IMDS process. Germ recovered from the IMDS process was 0.54% lower than that from the conventional steeping process.