An Improved Process for Sterilising and Blanching Cereals and Alimentary Leguminous Substances and the Meal Produced therefrom
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1899-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process for Sterilising and Blanching Cereals and
Alimentary Leguminous Substances and the Meal Produced
therefrom.
I, EMILE FRICHOT, of Dreux (Eure et Loir), in the Republic of France,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a process of treating wheat and other cereals or
alimentary leguminous substances and of the meal produced therefrom with the
object of destroying the ferment which they contain, and blanching, or bleaching
the organic and inorganic coloured parts of the same, sterilising all their elements
and especially rendering their essential oils inalterable, and, when these are per
fumed, preventing them from becoming rancid upon being subsequently exposed
to the air.
In carrying out the process according to this invention the products are sub-
jected either in the open air or preferably in a closed chamber or again in vacuo
to the action of nascent oxygen or of ozone in the form of oxygenated water or
ozonised water either hot or cold, then exposed to the air to dry, ventilated,
then aerated with cold air, and afterwards introduced into a heated stove and
finally allowed to cool in the open air.
The oxygenated water may be replaced by ozonised oxygen or by ozonised air.
Dated this 18th day of October 1898.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
An Improved Process for Sterilising and Blanching Cereals and
Alimentary Leguminous Substances and the Meal Produced
therefrom.
I, EMILE FRICHOT, of Dreux (Eure et Loire), in the Republic of France,
Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to the treatment of wheat and other cereals or aliment-
ary leguminous substances, such as beans, and of the flour obtained therefrom
used in the making of bread. The process is intended to destroy the ferment
contained in these substances and to effect the blanching or bleaching of the
coloured elements found therein, rendering their perfumed essential oils unalter-
able and preventing them from subsequently becoming rancid by sterilising all
their parts.

page_text: This chemical treatment of the grain or of the leguminous substances, after
the operation of cleaning or of the meal after grinding is absolutely harmless.
It ensures the production of flour that is suitable for bread-making, is absolutely
white and capable of being preserved for many months containing the whole of
the mineral salts existing in the ground grain or leguminous substances thus
ensuring with 100 parts of grain or leguminous matter, from 75 to 80 parts of
flour capable of producing fine white and exceedingly nutritious bread containing
all the elements of the grain or leguminous substances capable of assimilation.
The treatment consists in subjecting the grain or leguminous substances, or
the flour obtained therefrom, to the action of nascent oxygen or ozone in the
various forms of oxygenated water, ozonised water, ozonated oxygen, or ozonated
air, either in the open air, or preferably in a closed chamber, or again in a
.vacuum.
For this purpose, the products to be treated, viz. the wheat or beans, after
undergoing the usual operation of cleaning and being steeped or washed in the
ordinary course; or the flour after undergoing the usual operations of grinding
and bolting are introduced in thin layers or, preferably stirred, in a closed
chamber, where they are in contact with an atmosphere of nascent oxygen or of
ozonated oxygen or ozonated air, which acts immediately on their particles,
sterilises them, bleaches their grey farinaceous parts, and prevents the essential
oils from undergoing any change. After this oxygenating or ozonising action,
the grain, leguminous substance, or flour, is left undisturbed, care only being
taken to "shovel" or stir it from time to time, it is then dried in the open air,
or subjected to heat or cold for the purpose of removing every trace of oxygen
or ozone.
In treating the flour, I can either treat the whole quantity of the same pro-
duced by grinding the grain or the beans, or only the grey parts of the flour,
considered to be inferior in quality.
Some of the arrangements by means of which this treatment is carried out are
illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,
Fig. 1 is a closed vertical chamber, shown in section, into which the grain,
leguminous matter, or flour, is introduced in the form of a spray or in thin
layers.
Fig. 2 is another form of the same vertical chamber, into which the grain or
flour is injected and descends therein in presence of the nascent oxygen or
ozone.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal chamber with a series of superposed movable bearers
which bring the grain, beans or flour in thin layers into contact with currents
of nascent oxygen, ozonated air or oxygenated ozone.
Fig. 4 is another form of horizontal chamber for distributing grain or flour
and ozonated fluid.
Figs. 5, 5 and 5b represent various forms of the fan which drives the oxygen
or ozonated air into the closed chamber containing the grain, beans, or flour to
be treated.
In these figures, the same letters represent the same or corresponding parts.
The wheat, beans, or the flour obtained therefrom, is placed in the hopper e
and distributed in thin layers by means of the rotary cylinder f and falls in flakes
or thin layers on to the fixed shelves or trays (Fig. 1) or on to the rotary
shelves 92 (Fig. 2) or, again, on to the endless movable bearers g³ (Fig. 3).
During its descent from the top to the bottom of the chamber a the material
is subjected to continuous action and exposed to the ascending current of nascent
oxygen entering through the pipe and flowing along the trays or bearers in the
direction of the arrows. The exhausted oxygenated fluid, which may have
carried particles of flour with it, is forced to pass through a depositing chamber k
(Figs. 1 and 3) before escaping into the outside air through the orifice S¹;
whilst the treated material runs away through the pipe S.
Under these arrangements the current of ozonated fluid flows in inverse

page_text: directions to the grain or flour, but it might pass through the chamber a in the
same direction as the material to be treated.
The ozonated air or oxygen which is driven into the chamber a through the
pipes may proceed from the chamber of a fan provided with wings e (Figs 5
and 5) and containing tubes m or wires n arranged concentrically to the said
wings and to their rotary shaft q. The said tubes which are made of glass con-
tain filings, particles, or fine parings of metal, intended to effect a more regular
and complete division of the electric current, proceeding for instance from a high
tension coil energised by a continuous or alternating current dynamo. In this
way a regular supply of ozone is obtained.
In order to obtain a more active ozonated fluid, and to avoid any loss of ozone,
I prefer to introduce oxygen or pure cold air freed from all dust or germs into
the tubes m arranged in the centre or otherwise of the chamber a near the points
where the grain or flour is circulating (see Fig. 2 and 4). These tubes contain
the metallic particles or filings, and are connected with the selected source of
electricity.
The grain which has been subjected to the action of the ozonated fluid is stirred
up or moved about in the air and then undergoes the usual milling operations.
The flour is slowly stirred in pure air for the purpose of removing all traces
of ozone.
I can also treat the grain or leguminous substances with oxygenated water.
In this case, I moisten them slightly in an ordinary steeping apparatus, the
parts of which are made of wood, or in a steeping vat, or again, by introducing
oxygenated water in the form of a spray or vapour into the chamber a whilst
the grain is falling down or passing through the same. After the grain or
leguminous substances have undergone, this operation, they are left undisturbed
for some hours, in a closed chamber; they are then dried, or fanned, in the open
air or in a heated stove.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A process of treating wheat and other cereals, beans and other similar
leguminous substances, or flour obtained from such grain or leguminous sub-
stances, with the object of producing white flour, suitable for bread-making,
representing from 75 to 80 per cent. in weight of the ground grain, consisting in
exposing this grain, or the flour obtained therefrom, to the action of nascent
oxygen or ozone, or of ozonised air or ozonised oxygen, or oxygenated water, in
the open air or, preferably, in a closed chamber, by distributing it in thin layers
against fixed or movable partitions in presence of a stream of ozonated fluid or
a current of pure, dry, cold air or oxygen, becoming ozonised by contact with
metal filings or fine wires placed in glass tubes connected with a high-tension
electric current, as described.
2. The special type of apparatus for ozonising grain or flour for the purpose
of rendering nearly the whole of the same suitable for bread-making, consisting
of a closed chamber provided with fixed or movable diaphragms, and tubes con-
taining metal filings, the said chamber being surmounted by a hopper with a
cylinder for distributing the grain, or flour, to be treated, as described and
illustrated.
Dated this 18th day of July 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.