Recovery of aleurone-rich flour from bran

摘要

A bran finishing process in grain milling employs a milling machine in which bran that contains some endosperm, including aleurone, is fed into an annular milling chamber defined on an inner side by an eccentric cylindrical rotor and on an outer side by a frame assembly that includes perforated screens and abrasive surfaces. Longitudinal lobes protrude radially from the rotor. The lobes compress the bran as they rotate, while the lesser diameter of the rotor between lobes allows the bran to decompress, causing bran particles to rub together for detaching endosperm from the bran by friction forces. Bran particles also rub against the abrasive surfaces for scraping endosperm off the bran. Air flows through the milling chamber and carries the endosperm through the perforated screens, while the bran particles are discharged without passing through the screens.

主权项

1. A process for recovering aleurone from bran, comprising the steps of:
(a) processing wheat to produce flour and a first bran stream, wherein the first bran stream comprises bran and an aleurone-rich flour adhered to the bran; (b) feeding the first bran stream to a milling machine, wherein the milling machine comprises: a housing; an elongated shaft received in the housing; a rotor fixed to the shaft, wherein the rotor has a length and a radial-outermost surface along its length; and a frame assembly received in the housing, wherein the frame assembly has a plurality of holes, wherein a milling chamber is defined between the radial-outermost surface of the rotor and the frame assembly, wherein the radial-outermost surface of the rotor provides a boundary wall for the milling chamber, wherein the housing has an inlet opening for receiving the first bran stream into the milling chamber, and wherein the housing has first and second discharge outlets; (c) operating the milling machine such that the shaft rotates thereby rotating the rotor thereby dislodging a portion of the aleurone-rich flour from the bran; (d) recovering an aleurone-rich flour product from the milling chamber through the plurality of holes in the frame assembly and through the first discharge outlet; and (e) recovering a second bran stream from the milling chamber through the second discharge outlet.