Author
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Wu, Ying Victor |
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Norton, Robert |
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Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/4/2001 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Increased use of domestic fuel alcohol, fermentatively derived from corn, reduces our dependence on foreign petroleum. Furthermore, it utilizes a renewable resource produced in abundance by American farmers. Fermentation of corn to make alcohol also produces corn fiber. Besides protein and starch, corn fiber also contains an oil that can lower blood cholesterol and, therefore, can reduce heart disease. An inexpensive method was developed to grind the corn fiber and separate the ground fiber by particle size in a stream of air. Protein, starch, and oil were enriched in the fine fraction, and this makes further processing more economical. Corn farmers and processors will benefit because of greater market demand for corn and more economical processing to recover component(s) of interest. Technical Abstract: Corn fiber from wet milling of corn was finely ground and separated by air classification into fractions according to particle size. The finest fraction with particle size less than 15 microns showed enriched protein, starch, fat, and sterol ferulates contents compared with the starting corn fiber. In general, protein, starch, fat, and sterol ferulates contents decreased and total dietary fiber increased with increasing particle size. The greater than 30 microns fraction was separated by sieves into five fractions of increasing particle size. Protein, starch, fat, and sterol ferulates contents of the sieved fractions decreased and total dietary fiber increased with increasing particle size. Air classified fractions may be used individually or in combination depending on the component(s) of interest. |
