1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates primarily to the treatment of cereal grains to recover the starch and protein fractions.
2. Description of the Art Practices
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,938 issued to Kerkkonen et al on Apr. 20, 1976 describes a process for separating the components of a cereal grain into a starch and gluten fraction. The '938 process is stated to be advantageous over the Martin process which while initially using small quantities of water eventually uses larger quantities of water than the '938 process. The differences between the presently described process and the '938 process are described in detail infra.
The agglomeration of protein is a necessary step as conventional processing requires that the protein be screened to be recovered. The larger the agglomerates of protein are, the easier the screening process is conducted. More importantly, when the protein is efficiently agglomerated less is lost to the waste stream.
Throughout the specification and claims percentages and ratios are by weight and temperatures are in degrees Celsius unless otherwise noted. U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,938 is herein incorporated by reference.