Wet Milling of Corn

Wet milling, a process where water and sulfur dioxide are used to separate corn into its component parts, is a safe and effective alternative to dry grinding. Dry grinding creates dust which requires proper filtering systems because when grinding corn into dust, it can mix with the oxygen in the air resulting in explosive mixtures.

Wet milling offers a number of benefits that include: the formation of dust is avoided, the material to be ground will stay in the system allowing for a considerable decrease in losses making it advantageous for organic chemistry such as the grinding of poisonous substances, and product dosing and feeding are easier with wet milling than with a dry process. Wet milling is used for many applications in the pharmaceutical industry because it works well with active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Wet Milling Process

The wet milling process involves the grinding of materials with adequate liquid to form slurry. The feed material is steeped in water, with or without sulphur dioxide, to soften the seed kernel to cause the separation of the kernel into various parts. For instance, wet milling plants can separate corn into starch which can be turned into such products as corn sweeteners, ethanol, animal feed, and corn oil.

The grain is steeped in water and dilute sulfurous acid for a time period of about 24 to 48 hours. The steeping initiates the separation of the grain into various component parts. As the corn swells up and become soft, the mild acidity of the steep-water begins to loosen the gluten bonds within the corn and release the starch. After the steeping process, the corn mash is processed through grinders to separate the corn germ. The remains are sold to companies who extract the corn oil the corn oil from the germ is extracted at the location. The remaining starch, gluten, fiber, and starch undergo further separation by screen, centrifugal, and hydroclonic separators. The gluten (protein) part is filtered and dried to produce the corn gluten meal byproduct. Corn gluten meal is used as a feed ingredient in poultry broiler operations. Any remaining water and the starch from the mash can then be processed for one of the following: sold as dried or modified corn starch, fermented into ethanol, or made into corn syrup.

Building Blocks of Thousands of Food and Industrial Products

Developed by the Indians, Corn is one crop that is used by almost everyone on a daily basis such as for food and in a variety of beneficial products. For every five bushels sold, corn processors buy one bushel to process in to starches, corn syrups, ethanol, sweeteners, oils, and animal feeds. These products become the building blocks of thousands of other food and industrial products which are distributed all over the globe. The end products produced from corn are used in our everyday life.

As industry expands the processing of corn by investing in research that looks for more value added components a corn crop produces will generate mote quality and quantity of products such as, for example, renewable liquid transportation fuel. Wet milling has developed into a thriving industry that looks for the best use and optimum value from each component of the corn kernel.

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