Patent ID: 6322836
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: A21D,A23L

Abstract:
A method of processing corn kernel to produce precooked and partially dehulled corn flour for arepa and tortilla, comprising continuously and repeatedly the following steps:acid-cooking corn kernel in a solution comprising at least one acid component selected from the group consisting of sodium metabisulfite, sodium hydrogen sulfite and sodium sulfite, to partially hydrolyze the hull of said corn kernel,stabilizing a moisture content of said acid-cooked corn kernel to within a predetermined range,grinding said corn kernel and drying said corn kernel with a high temperature-short time apparatus or flash drier,cooling and drying said ground corn with ambient air having a relatively lower moisture content,separating and recovering said ground corn into a finer fraction, under 25 to 60 mesh, and a coarser fraction that is further aspirated to remove hull by-product and thereafter re-ground,whereby there is produced an instant corn flour with fine particle size suitable for arepa.