INDIAN CORN REFINING METHOD THAT COMBINE DRY AND WET MILLING METHODS

摘要

A continuous process for refining whole grain corn to obtain a prime corn starch fraction, an animal feed product and, optionally, corn oil. The process comprises dry milling corn kernels to provide an endosperm fraction, a germ fraction, a fiber (hull) fraction and a cleanings fraction, wet milling the endosperm fraction including using two distinct steeping steps, one upstream and the other downstream of an impact milling step, to provide a mill starch slurry. The process further comprises removing fine fiber tailings from the mill starch slurry, separating the slurry into a starch-rich fraction and protein-rich fraction, concentrating the protein-rich fraction, directly combining the fiber (hull), cleanings, fine fiber tailings and protein-rich concentrate without removing corn oil therefrom, with the germ fraction to provide a wet animal feed product, and drying the feed product. Optionally, corn oil is recovered from the germ fraction only.