GB620570A - Improvements in or relating to the steam treatment of cereal grains - Google Patents

Abstract

To produce cereal grains from which the natural flavour and aroma are partly or wholly removed and in which the endosperm is continuous and translucent and is enriched with vitamins from the germ and other parts of the grain, the grain, e.g. wheat, rice, barley, oats, is subjected in a closed vessel to the action of saturated steam at low pressure until the temperature of volalitization of the flavour and aroma producing substances is reached, and the pressure then suddenly released, these operations being repeated until the volatile substances are removed to the desired extent, and thereupon the grain is dried. Before drying, or after partial drying to increase absorbency, the grain may be impregnated or sprayed with a desired flavouring, which may be a condensate from the vapour obtained by carrying out the steaming process on another kind of grain. Examples are concerned with raising the temperature to 100 DEG -150 DEG C. in half a minute of eight tons of wheat and eight tons of barley respectively in a rotary vessel of 804 cubic feet capacity by means of saturated steam at 10 pounds a square inch gauge pressure, carrying out, for wheat, four steamings for two and a half minutes, each followed by a blow-off through a 20 inch diameter orifice, and, for barley, three steamings for three and a half, three and four minutes, each followed by a blowoff through a 20 inch diameter orifice, and after the last blow-off in each case applying a vacuum to exhaust the volatized substances and initiate drying of the grain.