Milling technology for

cereals
QA/QC on flour fortification, Kampala, 24-05-2016
DR. FI LIP VAN BOCKSTAELE
FA C U LT Y O F B I O S C I E N C E E N G I N E E R I N G

L A B O R ATO R Y O F C E R E A L T E C H N O L O G Y
Cereals

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 Cereal grains
oCeres
oWhat are cereals?
• Grass family (Gramineae)
• One seeded fruits
◦ Caryopsis = kernel = grain
◦ Germ
◦ Endosperm
◦ Bran: seed coat and fruit coat
◦ Developes in glume (chaff, husk)
• Easy to grow, high yield, stable, storage

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Cereal grains

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 Cereals in the world
o Annual production of major cereals in
2010/2014 (source: faostat.fao.org)
1021

844
741 728
2010
(Million tonnes)

672 651

2014

123 144
56 68 29 28 13 17 12 15 2 2

Corn Rice (paddy) Wheat Barley Sorghum Millet Triticale Rye Buckwheat

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 Nutritional importance of
cereals
•Macronutrients:
◦ Carbohydrates (50-80%)
◦ Staple food
◦ Digestable: starch
◦ Undigestable: dietary fiber
◦ Proteins (8-15%)
◦ Lipids (1.5-7%)
•Micronutrients:
◦ Vitamins
◦ Minerals (1-2.5%)
Dewettinck, K., Van Bockstaele F., Kühne, B., Van de Walle, D., Courtens, T. and Gellynck, X. (2008). Nutritional value of
bread: influence of processing, food interaction and consumer perception. Jounal of Cereal Science, 48, 243-257.

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Wheat

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Source: Principles of cereal science
and technology

Wheat grain
ENDOSPERM (80%)

BRAN (17%)
Incl. aleuronlayer

GERM (3%)

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 Wheat producing countries

EU
52
25 130

58
110

76

19

13
(source: faostat.fao.org)
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MILLING (average
TECHNOLOGY 2005-2010)
FOR CEREALS 9
Wheat
oUnique
-> wheat gluten proteins
-> breadmaking quality

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 Wheat classification
oWheat class system depends on country
oWheat type
•Triticum aestivum (>90%)
•Triticum durum (±5%)
oCriteria (USA)
•Kernel texture: hard ↔ soft
•Bran color: red ↔ white
•Growth habit: spring ↔ winter

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http://www.css.msu.edu/
Maize

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Corn/Maize
oMost produced grain
oHighest yielding cereal (world average)
• Maize: 4.3 tonnes/hectare
• Paddy rice: 3.8 tonnes/hectare
• Wheat: 2.7 tonnes/hectare

oAnimal feed
oHuman food: tortillas, porridge http://www.baobab.net

oStarch production: wet milling

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Maize grain

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Maize
TYPES
Dent
Soft
Waxy
Popcorn
Sweet
White
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Corn producing countries

309
159

49

(source: faostat.fao.org) Million tons (average 2005-2010)

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Cereal milling

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From cereal to flour
oMilling:
•Separation of bran/germ from endosperm
•Size reduction of endosperm -> flour
oProcessing steps involved
•Reception and pre-cleaning
•Cleaning
•Conditioning
•Milling
•Sieving
•Blending

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Reception
oReception
• intake of cereals
• quality control!: IN -> OUT
• different factors

•pre-cleaning
◦ magnet
◦ sieve cleaner
◦ aspiration

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Factors affecting milling yield,
end use quality
o hectoliter weight
o Impurities
o Immature kernels Courtesy: Marieke Dhooge

o Preharvest sprouting Sitophilus (weevil)

o Insect damage

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 Factors affecting food safety:
moulds
FUSARIUM SPP. ERGOT
Mycotoxins! • Claviceps purpurea
• Toxic alkaloids
• Difficult to separate
• 0.05% limit

Courtesy: Kris Audenaert

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MILLING TECHNOLOGY Ingrid De
FOR CEREALS Leyn 22
Wheat grain quality control
oFast analysis before grain intake:
•Moisture content
•Protein content
•Hectoliter weight
•%Impurities
•Amylase activity -> Hagberg falling number
•Gluten quality -> sedimentation value of Zeleny

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Storage
o Storage
• possible: low moisture content
• BUT living substance which can decay

o Control
• temperature
• grain condition
• oxygen supply
• moisture content grain
◦ safe value ~ cereal (13-15%)
◦ drying if necessary
• pest and mould control

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Blending and cleaning
oBlending
• wheat mix of uniform quality
• directly in storage bin
• just before milling process (other tempering conditions)

oCleaning
• remove impurities
◦ undesired seeds, infested kernels, shrunken and broken kernels, other
foreign material
• prevent contamination of mill products + damage of
equipment
• separation based on differences in size, shape, specific gravity,
behaviour in air currents, magnetic properties

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 Cleaning

DISC SEPARATOR

SCOURER

MAGNET
ASPIRATOR

SIEVE SEPARATOR

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Conditioning
oConditioning = adjustment of moisture content
•not too dry
◦ bran should become elastic to avoid splintering and
contamination of flour
◦ better separation of endosperm-bran
◦ less power required to grind to flour
•not too wet
◦ Endosperm too soft, no creation of sharp particles
◦ No efficient sieving

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Conditioning
oTempering
•controlled addition of water (and heat)
•intensive mixing to ensure uniform distribution
•resting for a period of time (3-36 h)
◦ optimal distribution in different parts of kernel
◦ reduce hydration differences
•25°C, 15-20% moisture content
◦ Soft wheat: 15 – 16.5%
◦ Hard wheat: 17 - 18%

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Milling: goals
o remove bran and
germ
o flour with specific
particle size
distribution
o extract as much
white flour as
possible

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Milling
o Milling process
• multi-stage process
• size reduction, separation (sieving) and purification
operations
• different materials at different stages BUT no
fraction completely pure

o Milling efficiency
•flour extraction degree
•pureness of the fractions

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 Milling process
oSuccession of 3 systems:
• breaking
◦ breaks up grain in large pieces
◦ removing endosperm from bran
Sieving in between steps

◦ as little flour and bran powder as possible

• coarse reduction (scratching or sizing)
◦ removing small pieces of bran and embryo from endosperm
◦ smaller particles endosperm
• fine reduction
◦ grinding endosperm into flour
◦ minimum in crushed germ and bran powder
◦ optimum in damaged starch granules

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Roller milling

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Roller milling: break system
o 4-5 breaks, corrugated rolls
• first break opens kernel
• subsequent breaks: scraping endosperm from
the bran
• gradually smaller but more corrugations
• differential from 2.5 to 1

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 Roller milling: reduction
system
oGradual decrease of particle size into flour
o Roller mill with smooth rolls,
• differential 1.25 to 1
• high shear pressure, lower shear forces
oCoarse reduction: 3-5 stages
• removing small pieces of bran and embryo from endosperm
• smaller particles endosperm
• no severe grinding: no bran in flour
oFine reduction: 6-10 stages
• grinding endosperm into flour
• minimum in crushed germ and bran powder
• optimum in damaged starch granules
o Material to purifiers, final reduction, flour
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Hammer mill
o impact milling
o screen determines
the particle size
o requires dehulling
when applied for
‘white’ flour/meal

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Sieving

Plansifter Purifier

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Sieving: plansifter
oSieving stage follows each set of rolls
• different mill fractions
• directed to:
◦ Next break rolls
◦ Reduction rolls
◦ Purifier
◦ Finished product

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Sieving
oPurifiers

• separation of pure endosperm and endosperm

with different amounts of bran
• vibrating motion of sieves: heavier endosperm
close to sieve, brannier material on top
• air currents fluidise and stratify according to
size, specific gravity and shape

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Milling: end products
Wheat flour Maize meal

100 µm
100 µm

MILLING TECHNOLOGY FOR CEREALS

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Milling and flour/meal quality
oParticle size
oBran content -> ash content
oColor
oStarch damage

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 Source: principles of cereal science and technology, Hoseney

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 Courtesy: Philip Randall
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 Milling technology for
cereals
QA/QC on flour fortification, Kampala, 24-05-2016
DR. FI LIP VAN BOCKSTAELE
FA C U LT Y O F B I O S C I E N C E E N G I N E E R I N G

L A B O R ATO R Y O F C E R E A L T E C H N O L O G Y