EP0324400B1 - Method of and device for making mill products - Google Patents

Abstract

In the production of milling products for human consumption, it is proposed that the oxidation, particularly of the fat constituents and vitamins, occurring during milling operations, and also during storage or intermediate storage, be effectively prevented by maintaining a low-oxygen or oxygen-free atmosphere. In this manner, very high value milling products, particularly those containing the highly valuable germ fractions, can be produced and distributed by means of the existing economical production and distribution systems. In particular, e.g. full nutritional value ready-to-use baking mixes can be produced in the mill. These are virtually unchanged even after a considerable storage time of weeks or months, and contain substantially all the constituents of the freshly-milled cereal. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing mill products from vegetable granular material.

Cereal grains are naturally designed so that they can be germinated if stored dry and undamaged over one or more vegetation periods. The vegetable fat as a higher form of an energy concentration is often concentrated in the germ area. All parts, in addition to the outermost cellulose-like grain layer, are used for the construction of the new plant. Humans have also taken advantage of this balanced composition of essential ingredients. Today, the main amount of white flour is worked out in the high-milling plant, e.g. for bread and pastries, pasta, etc. However, the nutritionally physiologically most valuable parts of the grain, especially the germination and partly the outer layers of the grain, are kept away from these ground products, for human consumption. However, the germ is the most valuable part of the grain and at the same time also contains the largest proportion of vegetable fat, namely in form the highly unsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to health.

Among other things, the applicant himself has been able to provide evidence since the beginning of the 1960s, alarmed by the rapid decay of human teeth, that at least one reason for this lies in the flour of the milling plant, which is poor in vital substances. This gave rise to the advice to return to the old flat mill or the stone mill. Another important point was recognized in the fact that with the so-called wholemeal products, i.e. flours or ground products, which contain all parts of the grain, they must no longer be stored after grinding, as otherwise different degradation and conversion processes, especially the oxidation of the Fat components take place. The grain must therefore be ground integrally in the bakery next to the dough tray, similarly to the beginning of the use of grinding stones, and fed directly into the dough tray. In this way, the vital substances in the grain can be retained with a high percentage.

However, this process means that the costs for the end products are correspondingly higher compared to the usual way of baking from milling and baking mixes at the high-level mill, including the purchase and operation of a mill by the bakery. Flat milling can therefore not be competitive with cooking waste. So far it has not been practically or economically possible to process the grain for the daily bread of the people while preserving the valuable vital substances.

From DE-A-2 002 958 and DE-A-34 06 370 it is known to grind cocoa beans in the absence of oxygen and preferably under a protective gas atmosphere in order to prevent damage to the flavorings by oxidation. However, the cocoa beans are roasted before grinding and grinding is also carried out at temperatures of over 80 ° C. This destroys the valuable substances contained in the germs. The ground cocoa product is sent for further processing, especially to chocolate, immediately after the grinding process; storage and preservation is not necessary.

The invention has now set itself the task of creating a new method and corresponding devices that allow the commercial / industrial production of high-quality to high-quality ground products from cereals at a price acceptable to the end user.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a method according to claim 1. Claim 9 specifies an apparatus for carrying out this method. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The method according to the invention is advantageous even with smaller mill outputs and is also relatively easy to use. The invention can be implemented both in the traditional flat or stone mill and in modern passage milling with milling roller mills. It is possible to produce in large quantities products whose oxygen-sensitive, health-relevant ingredients are not or only to a small extent oxidized, but especially after Manufacture to store these in such a way that no subsequent oxidation occurs to the consumer, be it in the mill, in the bakery, in the household or pasta factory, etc. It has been shown that, depending on the type of product, the oxidation begins immediately when it is first digested or ground. It must be assumed that with individual product types there is already a high affinity for oxygen when the grain is first broken open or damaged, in such a way that oxygen molecules accumulate and then only form the solid bond of an oxide in the course of days or weeks of storage. The entire grinding chamber is therefore placed under an almost oxygen-free, at least very low-oxygen atmosphere. For less problematic goods, it is sufficient if only the oxygen supply in the grinding chamber is reduced, in particular the free air supply is prevented. It is also important in any case that uncontrolled large amounts of oxygen are carried along with the product in the ambient air, so that subsequently wherever the product has a longer dwell time. Spends storage time, the oxidation takes place. The atmosphere that is as oxygen-free as possible is therefore maintained. This prevents an initial "oxygen accumulation", as well as the corresponding oxidation effect.

In order to avoid any possibility and any approach to oxidation for particularly high-quality products, the entire regrind space or regrind path from the first grinding, right from the first damage to the grain casing, to packaging or storage of the products obtained under the oxygen-poor or oxygen-free Atmosphere, without the digested material being able to form oxygen compounds during the entire processing. It is important that not only the storage of the products, but also the transfer, for example from container to container, under a low oxygen or. oxygen-free atmosphere.

The concept of disintegration is to be understood as the transformation of the originally whole grain into a fragmented, as it were chewed form. These are mill-based work techniques such as peeling, pre-peeling, grinding, sieving and sifting, mixing, conveying, etc., in which oxidation is conventionally prepared or would actually take place. The processing of the mill products conventionally takes place with a moisture which is only slightly higher than the storage moisture. In the case of multiple grinding with roller mills, it is e.g. in the range of about 15%. In the disintegration according to the invention, work is carried out dry with a product moisture below this storage moisture of about 15%. The processing moisture can be in the range of e.g. 8 to 10% water content.

Dry processing is not possible in the production of cereal flakes. The grain must be squeezed in a moist state, since this is the only way to produce flakes that stick together and to prevent the grain from breaking. In order to still achieve the dry atmosphere required according to the invention, the cereal flakes are dried immediately after being crushed to a moisture content of less than 15%, preferably to a residual water content of 8 to 10%, and in appropriate dry atmosphere treated.

The method according to the invention ensures that wherever the regrind is subjected to strong movements, whether due to mechanical action or dynamic forces of the surrounding gas and with all longer periods of rest and storage, oxygen access is avoided.

The invention allows a whole series of particularly advantageous configurations.

For example, the product is preferably divided into portions after dry grinding and preferably after intermediate storage and placed in airtight packaging, in the interior of which a vacuum or a reaction-neutral protective gas atmosphere is produced.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere is produced by blowing in atmospheric nitrogen, carbon dioxide or another non-toxic gas. However, a mixture of nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide can also be used or these can be used one after the other. E.g. for easier displacement of the air and the relatively heavy carbon dioxide, which is only then replaced by a nitrogen gas for ongoing production.

If a highly compressed gas is used, the cold released by the expansion can be used to lower the temperature of the grinding tools and / or the atmosphere in the grinding chamber.

The disruption is very particularly preferably. the dry grinding of the cereal grains in several stages, all grinding stages taking place under an oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere. A screening process can be carried out in each case between two grinding stages, the screening or screening also being carried out under the oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere.

For larger quantities, milling roller mills with corrugated and smooth rollers are preferably used.

For the production of wholemeal flours in quantities, as is customary in smaller mills, the digestion of the raw material with one, two or three grinding steps can preferably be designed as stone mills. In both cases, it is possible to pack the goods under vacuum immediately after grinding or to add a reaction-neutral protective gas atmosphere to the packaging itself, so that the digested goods have never come into contact with oxygen from the start of grinding until use. However, the material is preferably placed beforehand in an intermediate bunker, which also has the protective gas atmosphere. The goods are then brought directly into the packaging. In this case, only the entry of atmospheric oxygen must be avoided for the packaging. In many cases, the gas contained in the flour or semolina is completely sufficient as protection. The raw material can also be peeled or scrubbed or peeled or tanned under the low-oxygen or oxygen-free atmosphere, and, if it is not processed immediately, in the low-oxygen or oxygen-free atmosphere Atmosphere or be packed. This allows, for example, the subsequent actual grinding to be carried out at a different time or at a different location.

Furthermore, it is readily possible for a selectable proportion of the different fractions of the ground material to be extracted and processed further in an oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere, or for the digested material to be mixed with additives under the oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere.

It is to be expected that an economically optimal embodiment of the new method according to the invention lies in the fact that a baking mixture is produced according to a predetermined recipe. This can be produced directly in portions in a mixing drum under the oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere and then packaged in vacuum or with the reaction-neutral protective gas atmosphere or initially stored temporarily with the reaction-neutral protective gas atmosphere.

It is also possible to produce and / or to pack the additives to be added to the ground material in the absence of an oxygen atmosphere, for example freeze-dried and vacuum-packed. This means that such an oxygen source can also be kept away from undesired oxidation.

It is important in all cases that air re-entry into the packaging material is effectively prevented during the storage period, which is why air-impermeable packaging material should be used.

The invention further relates to an apparatus for performing the method. This is characterized in that it has unlocking elements and this housing, which completely surrounds it, without uncontrolled air passage openings, with product inlet and outlet openings which can be closed off from the free atmosphere, and means for supplying a reaction-neutral protective gas atmosphere.

In this device, the entire product path between all of the proposed plant elements such as the grinding unit, plan sifter, silo, etc. is made lockable by means of locks and / or sliders to prevent uncontrolled gas passage.

A feed line for part of the protective gas atmosphere is preferably provided in the region of the ground material intake of the grinding rollers or grinding bodies and / or a supply line for part of the protective gas atmosphere in the region of the ground material collecting space of the grinding rollers or grinding bodies.

Furthermore, it is possible to absorb a portion of the grinding heat through the expansion cold of a highly compressed protective gas, or to use the protective gas as a coolant for the grinding rollers or grinding tools.

Figur 1

zeigt ein Blockschema, welches eine aus einer Mühle und einer Verpackungsmaschine bestehende Vorrichtung, die in einer oxydationsfreien Atmosphäre angeordnet sind, darstellt;

Figur 2

zeigt ebenfalls ein Blockschema, das eine Vorrichtung nach Figur 1 mit zwischen der Mühle und der Verpackungsmaschine eingesetzten Mischund Portioniermaschinen darstellt;

Figur 3

zeigt eine gewerblich industriell einsetzbare Anlage mit Abfüllen der Mahlprodukte in Säcke;

Figur 4

zeigt eine Anlage analog zu Figur 3, jedoch mit einer zusätzlichen Mischeinrichtung, z.B. für die Herstellung von fertigen Backmehlen;

Figur 5

zeigt eine Anlage für größere Durchsatzleistungen mit Mehrfachpassagenvermahlung mittels Walzenstühlen.

The invention is explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing.

Figure 1

shows a block diagram, which one from a Mill and a packaging machine existing device, which are arranged in an oxidation-free atmosphere;

Figure 2

also shows a block diagram illustrating a device according to FIG. 1 with mixing and portioning machines inserted between the mill and the packaging machine;

Figure 3

shows a commercially industrial plant with filling the ground products in bags;

Figure 4

shows a system analogous to Figure 3, but with an additional mixing device, for example for the production of finished baking flour;

Figure 5

shows a system for larger throughputs with multiple passage grinding using roller mills.

In the following, reference is now made to FIG.

The device shown in Figure 1 consists of a mill 1 with the shortest possible grinding path, for example a stone mill and a packaging machine 2 connected downstream of it, which, as is indicated by the dash-dotted border, designated 10, while avoiding the entry of atmospheric oxygen to it Product is operated.

The cereal grains 3 to be comminuted in the mill 1 are thus in an oxygen-poor or almost oxygen-free Atmosphere, which can be formed by a protective gas atmosphere from inert gases, such as nitrogen, carbonic acid or a mixture of these or by a vacuum, and the flour 4 obtained therefrom is then fed to the packaging machine 2 and the end product 5 is proportioned accordingly , immediately packed airtight, so that no oxygen can get to the ground material during processing and therefore no oxidation occurs. The storable end product 5 thus contains all the vitamins and minerals contained in the grains 3, without these being damaged by oxidation, and can be processed at any time.

In the device according to FIG. 2, the mill 1 is a mixing machine 6, in which one or more additives 7, 7 ′ etc. can be added to the flour 4 ground from the cereal grains 3 and this is connected to a portioning machine 8. The baking mixes or other mixtures 4 ′ produced in the mixing machine 6 are thus divided in the portioning machine 8 and the individual portions are then packed airtight in a packaging machine 2. Since, in turn, all operations are carried out with the exclusion of an oxygen atmosphere, as is indicated by the dash-dotted border 10, an end product 5 is produced from the cereal grains 3 and the additives 7, 7 ', which has no oxidation damage.

A simply designed whole small mill system is shown in FIG. The still undamaged grains are fed via a feed line 11 and a feed funnel 12 and a product lock 13 passed into the interior of the mill 1 designed as a stone mill. The stone mill has two upright grinding stones rotating about a horizontal axis 14, one of which is the fixed stone 15 and the second of the rotor stone 16. The rotor stone 16 is driven by an electric motor 17. The intermediate product produced between the two grinding stones resp. Flour 4 is directly via an additional funnel 18 and a lock 19 and a discharge pipe 20 into an air or. gas-tight container 21 fed. The container 21 is almost filled with flour 4 in the picture. In the lower part, the flour 4 is conveyed by a removal device 22 directly to a bag filling device 23, a compacting screw 23 'being arranged in the bag filling device 23. The packaging machine is only symbolically represented by an empty sack 24, a sack 24 'on the filler neck and a finished and hermetically sealed sack 24''.

The gas, e.g. as nitrogen gas or carbon dioxide, is blown from a gas source 25 directly into the pressure side of a gas line system 26. Both the mill 1 and the container 21 each have their own gas circulation system, which is maintained via a pressure fan 27. In normal operation, both for the mill 1 and for the container 21 each have their own gas system or. the specifically required gas resp. the permissible oxygen concentration can be regulated.

It is also important that each working section can be closed completely gas-tight if necessary, for example by installing slides 28.

Figure 4 additionally shows the mixture of e.g. produce baking mixes, which can also be packed in airtight 24 '' bags. The flour 4 is removed from the container 21 via a material lock 30 and placed in a gas-tight mixer. All additives such as yeast, salt, etc. are resp. From the corresponding storage cells 31. 32 removed and, like the flour itself, added to the batch mixer in precisely dosed quantities. The corresponding control of all system elements is coordinated via a computer 33, as is only indicated schematically.

The finished, dry baking mixture is drained off in an intermediate container 34 and can be lifted into a sack 24 via an inclined conveyor 35 into a likewise gas-tight filling funnel 36, from which the individual sacks or containers for transport are now analogously as in FIG or the storage can be filled.

FIG. 5 now shows schematically an example of the implementation of the new invention with milling roller mills 40 and plan sifter 41. The conveying and lifting system of the intermediate grinding products is done here with gas-tight screw conveyors 42.

The great advantage of this system is that it allows the individual grinding fractions to be mechanically digested in a very targeted manner, so that the baking properties, aromas and milling aspects can be optimized in every respect. Depending on the specific products, the individual workspaces can be placed under a specific gas atmosphere, or the corresponding Atmosphere can be maintained. This makes it possible to choose between the maximum target values for the ingredients with regard to human health and the economically still viable effort for maintaining the special atmosphere, the best syntheses that can still be achieved in practice.

Claims (11)

1. Process for the preparation of milled products from grains of vegetable material in which the material is disintegrated in an atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen to produce the product, characterised in that, dry comminution or disintegration respectively of the corn grains is achieved by bringing these corn grains in their original untreated form into the atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen, by maintaining the comminuted product at the end of comminution in the atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen and by forwarding the product for storage or packaging, by storing in the atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen or by packaging in air-tight conditions respectively, and by maintaining the product throughout the entire process at a moisture content below 10% water content and at a product temperature between 0 °C and 50 °C.
2. Process in accordance with Claim 1, characterised in that, the atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen is produced by the blowing in of atmospheric nitrogen, carbon dioxide or another non-poisonous gas.
3. Process in accordance with Claim 2, characterised in that, a highly compressed gas is blown in and the cooling effect produced by the expansion of this gas is used to reduce the temperature of the comminution equipment and/or the atmosphere present in the milling space.
4. Process in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that, the comminution of the corn grains occurs in one, two or three milling operations by means of stone mills or in several roller mills and millers' cylinder mills by means of ribbed rollers and finishing rollers.
5. Process in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that, the corn grains are dehusked, scoured and dressed in the atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen before comminution.
6. Process in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that, the disintegrated product is mixed with additives in the atmosphere low in oxygen or free from oxygen.
7. Process in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that, the moisture content amounts to about 8 to 10% water content.
8. Process in accordance with one of the Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that, when preparing flaked cereal the product is dried immediately after moist crushing to give a moisture content of less than 10%.
9. Device for carrying out the process according to one of the foregoing Claims whereby comminution equipment (1) for the corn grains is enclosed against the open air, characterised in that, the cited comminution equipment (1) and a packaging device (2) connected downstream to (1) are both enclosed against the open air, and that there is provided an input valve (3) which can be closed against the open air, an outlet valve (19 or 22) which can be closed against the open air, as well as a device for introducing a protective gas (25, 26, 27).
10. Device in accordance with Claim 9, characterised in that, a container (21, 34) which can be enclosed against the open air is provided for storage of the disintegrated product.
11. Device in accordance with Claim 9 or 10, characterised in that, a mixing device (6) and optionally a metering device (8) which can both be enclosed against the open air are provided.

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