Continuous enzymatic precooking for the production of an instant corn flour for snack and tortilla
First Claim
1. A biochemical process for the continuous production of precooked and partially debranned corn flour, comprising the steps of:
- precooking cleaned corn kernel with steep-water heated from a downstream wet conditioner to form a suspension of corn and water, having a corn to water ratio between 1;
1 and 1;
1.5,precooking the corn kernel at a near neutral-pH with a solution comprising at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of an endoxylanase and an endoamylase, to effect a partial hydrolysis of bran heteroxylans and starchy cell-walls during precooking,wet conditioning said precooked kernel to a predetermined moisture range with warm water from a downstream washer,washing said conditioned precooked kernel to remove soluble solids and denatured said at least one enzyme, stabilizing a moisture content of said washed precooked corn kernel with water,milling said washed precooked corn kernel and drying said milled corn kernel for further pregelatinization,cooling and further drying said milled and dried corn kernel, sifting said dried milled corn kernel to obtain a fine fraction, under 16 to 60 mesh to produce a corn flour with fine particle size, and a coarse fraction, andaspirating said sifted coarse fraction to remove a corn bran.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Precooked and partially debranned corn flour is continuously produced by an enzymatic precooking using a commercial endoxylanase and endoamylase blend as a processing aid. The low-temperature and near neutral-pH precooking with an endoxylanase and endoamylase solution effects a partial hydrolysis of bran and starchy cell-walls with a controlled gelatinization and reduced conditioning and corn solid loss in wastewater. Moisture content is then stabilized after washing, followed by milling and drying at a high temperature for a short time to produce a partial gelatinization in the ground kernel, cooling and further drying the dried-milled particle. A fine particle size or flour is separated and recovered from the coarser particle which is also segregated to isolate a light bran fraction for integral flour or feed use, remilling and sieving the coarser particle to produce an instant corn flour for snack chip and corn-based food, and admixing the fine particle with lime to obtain a masa flour for tortillas and the like.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A biochemical process for the continuous production of precooked and partially debranned corn flour, comprising the steps of:
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precooking cleaned corn kernel with steep-water heated from a downstream wet conditioner to form a suspension of corn and water, having a corn to water ratio between 1;
1 and 1;
1.5,precooking the corn kernel at a near neutral-pH with a solution comprising at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of an endoxylanase and an endoamylase, to effect a partial hydrolysis of bran heteroxylans and starchy cell-walls during precooking, wet conditioning said precooked kernel to a predetermined moisture range with warm water from a downstream washer, washing said conditioned precooked kernel to remove soluble solids and denatured said at least one enzyme, stabilizing a moisture content of said washed precooked corn kernel with water, milling said washed precooked corn kernel and drying said milled corn kernel for further pregelatinization, cooling and further drying said milled and dried corn kernel, sifting said dried milled corn kernel to obtain a fine fraction, under 16 to 60 mesh to produce a corn flour with fine particle size, and a coarse fraction, and aspirating said sifted coarse fraction to remove a corn bran. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification