315 Influence of corn hybrid on milling and extrusion product performance.

M. N. SPELLER (1), J. F. Faller (2), and K. D. Rausch (1). (1) Department of Agricultural Engineering and (2) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801.

This study evaluates the advantages of controlling corn hybrid as a factor in processing corn into consistent quality food products. Dry millers process 120–140 million bushels of corn per year, with corn meal being a low-valued fraction from this process. Quantifying the value of reducing variability in corn products for efficient food processing operations has benefits to the corn producer, grain marketer, dry miller, and food processor. In this study, four hybrids from three growing locations (IL, IN, NE) were dry milled, producing corn meal (<30, >60), and extruded as a puffed snack product (12 treatments total). Dry milling and extrusion processes were held constant through the processing of treatments, allowing hybrid and location to be the dominant variable. Milling products were characterized by determining milling yields, composition, particle size distribution and rapid visco analysis (RVA) on the corn meal for each treatment. The extrusion characteristics were determined by analyzing the extruded product for texture using an RVA, physical characteristics, and other textural attributes. Milling and extrusion data linked hybrid-location variation to dry milling and extruded snack characteristics. Determinations were made on the influence of hybrid and growing location on dry milling and extruded snack quality from the pool of corn hybrids.