Dry milled com starch

Traditionally, com is dry-milled and suspended in boiling water to free the carbohydrate-rich starch compound from the nonstarch, cellulose biomass. The starch and cellulose components at this stage carry through the process. The non-convertible cellulose biomass is later separated. The milled com-water slurry, called mash, is boiled for about 1 hour. Enzymes such as a-amylase can be added to the process to help prevent gellation of starch. 

Both starch crops and lignocellulosics contain polymers of sugars that can be broken down into monomers and used in fermentation. The federally-subsidized production of fuel ethanol from com is an example of bioconversion that takes advantage of well-established wet and dry milling techniques after which the starch is enzymatically converted to glucose for yeast fermentation. 

In order to understand corn milling and corn by-products, it is first necessary to know the composition of the different parts of the Corn kernel. Each year, about 6% of the U.S. corn crop is milled. Com is wet milled for the production of starch, sweeteners, and oil or is dry milled for the production of grits, flakes, meal, oil, and feeds. 

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