Process for steeping corn and steeping system therefore
AssigneeFluid-Quip, Inc.
InventorChie Ying Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to improvements in the steeping process of corn wet milling and a steeping system therefore. The process for steeping corn includes subjecting corn situated in a battery of no less than four steeping tanks to a countercurrent flow of steep water. The first steeping tank defines a new corn receiving tank and the last steeping tank defines a discharge tank. The countercurrent flow of steep water includes sulfur dioxide and flows in a direction from the discharge tank to the new corn receiving tank. The sulfur dioxide concentration in the steep water of the first steeping tank is greater than the sulfur dioxide concentrations in a plurality of the remainder of the steeping tanks, which maintain sulfur dioxide levels that are substantially equivalent.
Claims14
A process for steeping corn comprising:
- subjecting corn situated in a battery of no less than four steeping tanks to a countercurrent flow of steep water, the first steeping tank defining a new corn receiving tank, the last steeping tank defining a discharge tank, and the countercurrent flow of steep water including sulfur dioxide and flowing in a direction from the discharge tank to the new corn receiving tank the sulfur dioxide concentration in the steep water of the first steeping tank is greater than the sulfur dioxide concentration in a plurality of the remainder of the steeping tanks, which maintain sulfur dioxide levels that are substantially equivalent.
A process for steeping corn comprising:
- subjecting corn situated in a battery of no less than four steeping tanks and no greater than twenty steeping tanks to a countercurrent flow of steep water, the first steeping tank defining a new corn receiving tank, the last steeping tank defining a discharge tank, and the countercurrent flow of steep water including sulfur dioxide and flowing in a direction from the discharge tank to the new corn receiving tank;
- adding additional sulfur dioxide to the first steeping tank so that the sulfur dioxide concentration in the steep water of the first steeping tank is greater than the sulfur dioxide concentrations in a plurality of the remainder of the steeping tanks;
- and
- maintaining the sulfur dioxide levels in the plurality of the remainder of the steeping tanks at a substantially equivalent concentration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.