Method of processing cereals

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of processing cereals for the production of semi-whole flour and light brans or brans with low content of coriaceous components.

[0002] In accordance with the known milling technique, the seeds of cereals in general, so-called semi-fruit or caryopses, and of wheat in particular, once they have been selected, washed and dried, undergo the following operations:

[0003] The so-called trimming or degerminating, i.e. the removal of the embryos or germs from the caryopses, is effected by passing the grain into rotating cages, in the meshes of which the germs, located prominently at one end of the caryopsis, are caught and thus separated from the latter. Parenthetically, this trimming or degermination operation can be omitted in the production of whole flour.

[0004] In the milling process, the grains are milled releasing flour and bran, the latter of which can be kept, in whole or in part, with the former in order to form precisely so-called whole flour or be separated from it to form white flour.

[0005] For some time, whole flour has been regaining more and more increasing use due to its richness in fibers and nutritious components, and is regarded with good reason as recommendable for a balanced human diet.

[0006] By the above-mentioned known technique, however, whole flour is obtained which, on the one hand, if the caryopses have undergone prior degermination treatment, are lacking in this rich nutritional component, and on the other hand, also contains relatively substantially coriaceous components and therefore components which are not easily digestible due to the complete milling of the pericarp.

[0007] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide whole flour from cereals in general and wheat in particular in which all the natural nutritional components are retained but which is also lacking in mostly coriaceous components so as to maximize the nutritive and digestible character thereof.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to achieve the above purpose by a method which is easily carried out both on a small scale and on an industrial scale.

[0009] A further but not final object of the present invention is to achieve the above goals through a simple and economical method which is easily included in the known methods of processing, and furthermore to use devices which are easily obtainable for carrying out the method of the invention.

[0010] These and other objects are achieved by the method of processing cereals for the production of semi-whole flour and light brans or brans of low content of coriaceous components in accordance with the present invention, comprising slight or gentle superficial decortication-abrading of the caryopses and subsequent complete milling thereof to obtain a bran which, combined with the flour or separate from it, is substantially free of coriaceous components while retaining the more digestible fibrous and nutritional components.

[0011] In greater detail, the method of the present invention which by the way is commercially referred to as "Rufibor-­Fibrabuona", provides that the caryopses, after being subjected to the normal pre-milling cycles or winnowing, washing, drying, conditioning and settling, with the exclusion of any trimming or degermination operation, are subjected to a slight or gentle action of decortication of the pericarp surface abrasion thereof.

[0012] This decortication is preferably effected by already known decortisizing machines, primarily formed by vertical grinding wheels which upon their turning rub off when passing, an incoherent body of caryopses, caused to pass around them and held against them, temporarily squeezed by restriction of the lower outlet mouth. These machines are used in accordance with the known technique for radically decortisizing the caryopses of barley in order to obtain malt for the production of beer. The decortisizing action on the caryopses in accordance with the present invention, however, must be very gentle, which can be easily achieved by modifying the known decortisizing devices by suitably increasing the size of the outlet mouth in order to decrease the pressure on the caryopses, which can possibly be made to pass several times through the decortisizing machine.

[0013] In this connection, the slight or gentle abrasion to be effected on the caryopses means to remove the peripheral and more coriaceous parts of the pericarps or the helicarp and the outermost part of the mesocarp as well as the tuft of hairs, but leaving the embryo or germs intact.

[0014] It should be noted that the chemical composition of these peripheral layers of the pericarp is characterized by the presence of seed-protective substances, such as tannins and polyphenyls, which, from the point of view of human food, have antinutritional characteristics since they block the absorption of proteins.

[0015] Subsequently, the caryopses which have thus been decortisized on the surface are milled, by the known technique, preferably with a millstone or roller type mill, obtaining a whole flour which contains only the less coriaceous part of the bran, which latter can furthermore then be isolated, as in the known technique, thus obtaining a bran which can be defined as light in view of its low coriaceous characteristics.

[0016] As appears obvious from the detailed description given above, the method of the present invention achieves the above stated objects and advantages by providing a product which, even though rich in fibers as is characteristic of whole flours, is easily digested.

[0017] Since these as well as further embodiments and modifications thereto are intended to be within the scope of the present invention, the above description should be construed as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined solely by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of processing cereals for the production of semi-whole flour and light brans or brans of low content of coriaceous components comprising slight superficial decortication-abrading of the caryopses; and subsequently complete milling of said decortisized product.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said slight decortication-abrading comprises the removal of the helicarp from the caryopses, as well as the outer part of the mesocarp and the tuft of hairs, leaving the germ or embryo intact.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said decortication-abrading step is performed by passing said caryopses through decorticating machines having vertical grinding wheels and an enlarged outlet.

4. The method according to claim 3, not including trimming or degermination of said caryopses.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said milling after said decortication-abrading is performed in millstone or roller mills.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the milling product is semi-whole flour.

7. The method according to claim 1, additionally comprising the step of winnowing said milled product to isolate a light bran or bran of low content of coriaceous components.