Method of desolventizing and toasting soybean meal

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD OF DESOLVENTIZING AND TOASTING SOYBEAN MEAL THAT HAS BEEN EXTRACTED WITH A SOLVENT HAVING A BOILING POINT BELOW THAT OF WATER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) INTRODUCING THE MEAL INTO THE UPPERMOST OF A SERIES OF STACKED COMPARTMENTS IN DIRECT INTERCOMMUNICATION THROUGH A SERIES OF PASSAGES THEREBETWEEN; (B) PASSING THE MEAL SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH THE COMPARTMENTS IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM VIA SAID PASSAGES AND IN FLOW CONFIGURATION DEFINING MEAL-FREE AREAS IN EACH COMPARTMENT ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE MEAL THEREIN; (C) HEATING THE MEAL WITH STEAM IN SAID UPPERMOST COMPARTMENT TO A FIRST TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE VOLATILIZATION TEMPERATURE OF THE SOLVENT BUT BELOW THE BOILIN POINT OF WATER; (D) RAISING THE WATER CONTENT OF THE MEAL IN SAID UPPERMOST COMPARTMENT TO A LEVEL WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 14 PERCENT TO APPROXIMATELY 30 PERCENT; (E) REMOVING SOLVENT VAPOR FROM SAID AREA OF THE UPPERMOST COMPARTMENT, THE MEAL BEING MAINTAINED IN SAID UPPERMOST COMPARTMENT FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE SOLVENT THEREFROM; (F) MAINTAINING THE MEAL IN A SECOND COMPARTMENT BELOW SAID UPPERMOST COMPARTMENT SUBSTANTILLY AT SAID FIRST TEMPERATURE, THE MEAL PASSING THROUGH SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT BEING MAINTAINED THEREIN FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT SUBSTANTIAL DESTRUCTION OF THE UREASE ACTIVITY THEREOF; (G) PROVIDING VAPOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID AREA OF THE SECOND COMPARTMENT AND THE FIRST COMPARTMENT; (H) HEATING MEAL IN A THIRD COMPARTMENT BELOW