Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Paul A. Seib / Yong Cheng Shi / Waxy wheat starch contains almost all amylopectin and is relatively new. Currently, advanced lines of hard winter waxy wheats are being bred through genetic elimination of waxy proteins. To realize the full potential of waxy wheat, the wet-milling of waxy wheat flour to produce gluten and waxy wheat starch was investigated. Flours of six advanced lines of waxy hard wheats and two normal hard wheats cultivars, Karl '92 and Trego, were fractioned by the dough-washing method. Doughs prepared from the waxy flours were found to be weaker than those of from normal wheats. All the waxy wheat and normal wheat flours were wet-milled by the dough-washing (Martin) process and the yield and recovery of starch and gluten were compared. One waxy wheat flour, NWX02Y2459, was sticky during the early stages of dough washing, and it gave relatively poor gluten and starch recoveries with low purity. By mixing the dough with 2% NaCl solution or by adding hemicellulase, the stickiness of the dough subsided during the washing step, and thereby recoveries of the gluten and starch fractions were improved. Waxy wheat starch offers unique functional properties. Waxy wheat starches gelatinize and cook at a relatively low temperature compared to maize starches, and their pastes retrograde more slowly and to a lower extent than waxy maize starch. Pasting curves showed that waxy wheat starch generated a much higher viscosity at a lower temperature, and a lower setback viscosity than normal wheat starch and waxy maize starch. Changes in the morphology of waxy and normal wheat starch granules were determined by using a hot-stage microscope, and those changes were related to their pasting properties. After waxy wheat starch was cross-linked in an aqueous slurry at about 37% starch solids with 0.01% phosphoryl chloride (starch basis), visco-amylograms showed that viscosity breakdown was eliminated and that the cooked paste became non-cohesive (less "stringy"). Increasing levels of phosphoryl chloride at 0.03% and 0.06% caused a steady decline in the peak and final paste consistencies of cross-linked waxy wheat starch, whereas the consistencies of waxy maize starch proceeded through an optimum. Waxy maize starch cross-linked with 0.03% phosphoryl chloride had a higher peak and final consistency at 7% solids than when cross-linked with 0.01% and 0.06% phosphoryl chloride.

Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench is an important staple cereal in Africa, where it ranks second after maize. Despite its importance, the sorghum food industry remains non vibrant, constrained in part by inadequate milling technology. Presently, Prairie Research Laboratory (PRL) type abrasive dehullers and hammer mills, which apparently produce meals of inconsistent quality and low output, are generally used for industrial milling of sorghum. Efforts to improve sorghum milling require an in-depth understanding of how milling process and grain type affect the sensory characteristics of the final food products. Such knowledge is currently lacking. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of milling process and sorghum type on the quality of sorghum meal and porridge. Twelve sorghum types with diverse physico-chemical properties were milled by roller milling (RM), abrasive decortication-hammer milling (ADHM) and hand pounding (HP), and the effects on meal extraction and meal quality were evaluated. Porridges were prepared using standardised Botswana recipe, and their sensory profiles were characterised using Descriptive Sensory Analysis. Additionally, factors that affect the texture of sorghum porridge were investigated, and suggestions for improving the sorghum milling process are given. Both the sorghum type and the milling process affected the quality of the meal and the sensory characteristics of the porridge, but the milling process was found to have more effects on these characteristics than the sorghum type, because of the diverse milling principles of the milling processes. RM gave far better extraction rate and had substantially higher throughput than HP and ADHM. However, meals obtained with RM had slightly more ash and were a little darker, and gave porridges which were correspondingly darker in colour, had slightly more branny aroma, more astringency and bitter taste, than meals obtained with the other two milling processes, indicating higher bran contamination of the meals, presumably caused by fragmentation of the pericarp. Clearly, even with tempering the pericarp was still friable, and hence, requires indepth sorghum tempering studies. Grain hardness proved to be important for milling, as it correlated positively with extraction rate with ADHM and HP, but not with RM. Hard grains generally gave coarser and better refined meals, and produced porridges that were firmer, compared to soft grains. Weathered and pigmented pericarp sorghums produced dark and specky meals, and gave porridges with apparently undesirable sensory qualities, because of staining caused by the pericarp pigments, showing that these characteristics affect the quality of sorghum foods negatively. When used with hard and light coloured sorghums, ADHM gave more appealing meal and porridge qualities (light coloured, firm texture and enhanced cereal aroma), indicating that dry abrasive decortication is advantageous for production of sorghum products with superior sensory qualities. Firmness varied considerably among the porridges, caused by differences in the meal particle sizes, which was predominantly a consequence of the milling process. An increased proportion of coarse endosperm particles, as was the case with HP meals, caused increased porridge firmness. The coarse particles absorbed water slowly, thus restricting swelling of the starch granules, such that a high proportion of non-ruptured gelatinised starch granules that reinforce the porridge matrix resulted. The sorghum type also influenced porridge firmness, whereby the corneous sorghum types with high protein content produced firmer porridges, owing to presence of the hard and less waterpermeable protein-starch matrix in the endosperm meal particles. Because abrasive decortication gave meals and porridges with superior sensory qualities, while roller milling prduced high throughputs, a roller milling system that is preceded by a dry abrasive decortication process is recommended as a versatile milling process for industrial processing of diverse sorghum products that have superior sensory qualities. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Food Science / unrestricted

Pearl millet is a staple food in Namibia. It is milled into flour by traditional and industrial dry milling processes. This research was conducted to help determine how to improve the nutritional value and acceptability of pearl millet. The traditional milling process involves a lactic acid fermentation step which lowers the pH of kernels. The effects of the traditional Namibian and industrial “dry milling” processes on the physical and nutritional composition of pearl millet grain were compared. Additionally, the effect of steeping three different Namibian pearl millet varieties (Kangara, Kantana and Okashana 2) in lactic acid and water on the colour and the phenolic content of the flour were determined. Regarding comparing the milling processes, variety Kangara was conditioned and decorticated traditionally with a pestle and mortar and industrially with an abrasive decorticator. The traditional decorticated grain was steeped and sun dried for 24 h before hammer milling, whereas the industrially decorticated grain was roller milled. Tristimulus colorimetry and proximate analyses were conducted on the samples. Concerning acid steeping, kernels were steeped in a pH 3.5 solution and in water as a control. Colour, total polyphenol and c-glycosyl flavone contents were determined. The determination of cglycosylflavone content was particularly important because these compounds are considered goitrogenic. The traditionally milled flour was lighter in colour than industrial milled flour. However, it was significantly lower in protein, ash and c-glycosyl flavone contents in comparison to industrial milled flour. This was due to the removal of more pericarp and germ in the traditional process. The industrial dry milling process therefore produces flour with a higher nutrient content in terms of protein, fat and minerals. However, the traditional Namibian milling process makes the colour of the pearl millet flour lighter, which is probably the reason that it is more acceptable to consumers. Kernels steeped in a lactic acid solution were lighter in colour than those steeped in water. Irrespective of the steeping media, the total polyphenol content was significantly lower in steeped kernels compared to those unsteeped. A similar trend was observed for the cglycosyl flavone content. This indicates that some of these compounds may have leached out during steeping. For all varieties, kernels steeped in lactic acid had a significantly higher total polyphenol content than those in water, probably due to the dissociation of metal-polyphenol complexes in the acidic medium whereby these polyphenols became free and available for measurement. Thus, steeping in a lactic acid solution can lead to better colour improvement of kernels compared to steeping in water. Thus, lactic acid steeping can improve the sensory quality of pearl millet products. An industrial process can thus be designed to include tempering the grain with food grade lactic acid to produce sour taste and leach out the colour pigments, particularly the cglycosyl flavones hence lightening the colour of the industrial milled flour. This produces a product with high nutritional content, lighter in colour and has the sour taste that consumers find appealing. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Barrion, SC 2007, Pearl millet milling : comparison between traditional Namibian fermentation - semi-wet milling and dry milling, MSc(Agric) dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-01282009-132241 / > E1209/gm / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Food Science / unrestricted

Quality protein maize (QPM), high protein corn (HPC) and food grade maize (FGM) were processed into tortillas and direct expanded extruded snacks. QPM had similar test weight, density and kernel size with 45% more lysine and 38% more tryptophan compared to FGM. HPC had the largest kernel with density and test weight similar to FGM. During alkaline cooking, HPC absorbed water faster than QPM and FGM. White QPM required shorter cooking time and had less dry matter losses compared to FGM. All corn varieties had excellent pericarp removal at the optimum cooking time. Tortillas from QPM had better pliability and rollability after storage compared to FGM and HPC. HPC tortillas had lower rupture force after storage. The use of QPM for tortilla production may reduce energy and sewage cost, and could produce a tortilla with longer shelf stability with improved nutritional value. Decorticated and non-decorticated QPM, FGM and HPC grain were processed into corn meal and direct expanded snacks. A modified short scale dry milling system was used to produce the corn meal. QPM produced more coarse meal with greater fat content compared to FGM. Decortication decreased fiber content and coarse meal yield. Non-decorticated meal had greater protein, fiber and fat content compared to decorticated meal. The modified short flow milling system provides reduced lost fractions for extrusion into nutritionally improved products. Extrusion was performed in a low cost friction extruder. QPM extruded faster than FGM and HPC. FGM required greater specific mechanical energy than QPM. Extrudates from FGM were the most expanded followed by QPM and HPC. Extrudates from the three corn varieties were acceptable to the panelists and decortication did not affect acceptability. The improved nutritional value of QPM, was retained during dry milling and extrusion. Current QPM varieties can be processed into tortillas with longer shelf stability and meal for extrusion into a wide variety of snacks and other foods. These may have application in specialty health foods and in developing countries where maize is a staple food.

Quality protein maize (QPM), high protein corn (HPC) and food grade maize (FGM) were processed into tortillas and direct expanded extruded snacks. QPM had similar test weight, density and kernel size with 45% more lysine and 38% more tryptophan compared to FGM. HPC had the largest kernel with density and test weight similar to FGM. During alkaline cooking, HPC absorbed water faster than QPM and FGM. White QPM required shorter cooking time and had less dry matter losses compared to FGM. All corn varieties had excellent pericarp removal at the optimum cooking time. Tortillas from QPM had better pliability and rollability after storage compared to FGM and HPC. HPC tortillas had lower rupture force after storage. The use of QPM for tortilla production may reduce energy and sewage cost, and could produce a tortilla with longer shelf stability with improved nutritional value. Decorticated and non-decorticated QPM, FGM and HPC grain were processed into corn meal and direct expanded snacks. A modified short scale dry milling system was used to produce the corn meal. QPM produced more coarse meal with greater fat content compared to FGM. Decortication decreased fiber content and coarse meal yield. Non-decorticated meal had greater protein, fiber and fat content compared to decorticated meal. The modified short flow milling system provides reduced lost fractions for extrusion into nutritionally improved products. Extrusion was performed in a low cost friction extruder. QPM extruded faster than FGM and HPC. FGM required greater specific mechanical energy than QPM. Extrudates from FGM were the most expanded followed by QPM and HPC. Extrudates from the three corn varieties were acceptable to the panelists and decortication did not affect acceptability. The improved nutritional value of QPM, was retained during dry milling and extrusion. Current QPM varieties can be processed into tortillas with longer shelf stability and meal for extrusion into a wide variety of snacks and other foods. These may have application in specialty health foods and in developing countries where maize is a staple food.

This work deals with the study of limestone and corundum dry milling using attritor-type stirred mill in a batch mode. There were stearin and polyethylene glycol used as surfactants and spherical shaped steel grinding elements used for the experimental part of the work. The main idea was to examine behavior of the selected grinding stock type within a long-term grinding forces exposure in selected conditions of ultrafine dry milling leading up to the submicron area. Characterization of samples was performed by laser granulometry, X-ray powder diffraction analysis, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, objective color determination and electrokinetic potential measurement. Experimetaly measured data implies that in all cases there was a re-agglomeration of the grinding stock particles occurring, although in different stages of the disintegration process and in mutually various degree. The analysis results denote that a larger erosion of the crystal structures with the associated increase of the amorphous phase in the submicron particle size took place in the grinding stock.