Fermentable sugar from the hydrolysis of starch derived from dry milled corn
AssigneeNational Distillers and Chemical Corporation
InventorsWerner C. Muller, Franklyn D. Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Starch derived from dry milled corn is hydrolyzed to provide a sterile aqueous fermentable sugar solution which is especially adapted for fermentative conversion to ethanol with minimum thermal expenditure. Following an initial mild hydrolysis to thin, or liquefy, the starch, substantially all of the water insoluble protein and oil components, and a portion of the water soluble components, e.g., sugars, lipids, proteins and vitamins, are separately recovered from the partial starch hydrolysate with the water solubles being recycled to the system. Thereafter, the partial starch hydrolysate is subjected to further hydrolysis to provide an aqueous solution of fermentable sugar.
Claims13
A process for converting the starch fraction derived from whole dry milled corn to a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar, said starch containing water insoluble protein and oil and one or more water soluble components selected from the group consisting of sugar, lipid, protein, vitamin and mineral, which comprises:
- (a) liquefying an aqueous slurry of the starch by hydrolysis to provide sterile aqueous partial starch hydrolysate slurry containing the water insoluble protein and oil and the water soluble components in substantially unaltered condition;
- (b) separating the slurry resulting from liquefying step (a) into an aqueous sterile slurry of partial starch hydrolysate containing a part of the water soluble components and an aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein and oil containing the remaining part of the water soluble components;
- and,
- (c) saccharifying the relatively thin aqueous slurry of partial starch hydrolysate to provide a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar.
A process for converting the starch fraction derived from dry milled degerminated corn to a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar, said starch containing water insoluble protein, a relatively minor amount of the oil of the whole corn, and one or more water soluble components selected from the group consisting of sugar, lipid, protein, vitamin and mineral, which comprises:
- (a) liquefying an aqueous slurry of the starch by hydrolysis to provide sterile aqueous partial starch hydrolysate slurry containing the water insoluble protein and the water soluble components in substantially unaltered condition;
- (b) separating the slurry resulting from liquefying step (a) into an aqueous sterile slurry of partial starch hydrolysate containing a part of the water soluble components and an aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein containing the remaining part of the water soluble components;
- (c) saccharifying the aqueous slurry of partial starch hydrolysate to provide a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar;
- (d) diluting the aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein from step (b) with water;
- (e) separating water from the water insoluble protein resulting from step (d);
- and,
- (f) recycling the water recovered in step (e) for use in a subsequent liquefying step (a).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.