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AssigneeProcess Partners, Inc.
InventorsJames C. Breslin, Stephen J. Kalchik, Michael F. Raymond
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An apparatus for preparing a shelf-stable processed grain product includes a series of heating and cooling stages performed on a processed grain product having a water activity value of about 0.65 or less. A first heating stage takes the grain pieces to a first elevated temperature, which is followed by a first cooling stage. The grain pieces are passed to a second heating stage to reach a second elevated temperature, followed by a second cooling stage. The grain pieces are then passed to a third heating stage, after which they are sufficiently soft and pliable for a final forming stage such as flaking, bumping, puffing, or the like. This allows grain pieces that are suitable for long term storage, but too brittle for final forming, to be softened for final forming without raising the moisture content to a point that is conducive to mold formation or reduced product quality.
A multi-step grain conditioning apparatus comprising:
A multi-step grain conditioning apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.