The next step involves a coarse grind to separate the germ from the rest of the kernel. The remaining slurry consisting of fiber, starch and protein is finely ground and screened to separate the fiber from the starch and protein. The starch is separated from the remaining slurry in hydrocyclones. The starch then can be converted to syrup or it can be made into several other products through a fermentation process. Once the grain is separated into its components it can be converted into higher value products.
Sweeteners are the most important refined products.
The second major refined grain product is Ethanol, which is gaining increasing acceptance as a cleaner burning option for motor fuels. The third major product is starch, a mainstay of our food and industrial economy. Grain and its components are used to make food and non-food products for consumer and industrial use. Food processing encompasses all the steps that food goes through from the time it is harvested to the time it arrives on supermarket shelves. At simplest, processing may involve only picking, sorting, and washing fruits and vegetables before they are sent to market.