Publication no. C-2001-0208-07R |  VIEW ARTICLE

Effect of Maize Tempering on Throughput and Product Yields.

S. K. Mehra (1), D. K. Gupta (2,3), P. Buriak (4), M. E. Tumbleson (5), and S. R. Eckhoff (4). (1) Former doctoral student, Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. Current address: Cargill Foods Inc., Dayton, OH. (2) Visiting scholar, Dept. Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. (3) Corresponding author. Email: <dgupta@sugar.age.uiuc.edu> Phone: 217/344-9510. (4) Professor, Dept. Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. (5) Professor, Dept. Veterinary Biosciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. Cereal Chem. 78(2):210-214. Accepted October 31, 2000. Copyright 2001 American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc.

Scientifically researched 2- and 3-stage tempering procedures and the commercially practiced 1-stage procedure were compared for throughput and corn dry-milling product yields at pilot-scale (30-kg lots) operation. The throughput and product yields were influenced by the temper procedure and the tailgate weight distance. For most corn dry-milling products, yields corresponding to 2- or 3-stage tempering procedures could be equaled or surpassed using the 1-stage tempering procedure at specific temper durations. In general, yields from the 2-stage and 3-stage procedures were comparable to the yields from the 1-stage procedure at temper durations of 30-40 and 50-60 min, respectively. An increase in the tailgate weight distance improved the product yields for temper durations <30 min but reduced the yields for longer temper durations. An increase in temper duration <50 min resulted in a reduction in throughput but an improvement in flaking grit yield. The temper duration and tailgate weight distance could be suitably adjusted for obtaining the desired output.