Anhydrous hci modification of flour

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF MODIFYING RAW WHEAT FLOUR COMPRISING ADJUSTING THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE RAW WHEAT FLOUR TO A VALUE OF ABOUT FROM 7.5 TO 10.5 PERCENT, MODIFYING THE RESULTING FLOUR BY VIGOROUSLY MIXING IT IN A RIBBON BLENDER, HAVING BOTTOM GAS INLET MEANS WHILE INTRODUCING THROUGH SAID MEANS ABOUT FROM 1.2 TO 1.6 GRAMS PER 100 GRAMS OF THE FLOUR, ON A DRY BASIS, OF AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ANHYDROUS HCL GAS AND ANHYDROUS HCL GAS DILUTED WITH AT LEAST ABOUT 10 VOLUMES OF AN INERT GAS, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID FLOUR AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT FROM 21* TO 50*C., SAID ACIDS BEING INTRODUCED TO THE FLOUR AT THE RESPECTIVE RATES OF BOUT FROM 0.019 TO 0.020 GRAM AND ABOUT FROM 0.065 TO 0.170 GRAM OF ACID PER MINUTER PER 100 GRAMS OF FLOUR, ON A DRY BASIS, STIRRING THE RESULTING ACID-MODIFIED FLOUR FOR ABOUT FROM 40 TO 100 MINUTES WHILE MAINTAINING THE AFORESAID TEMPERATURE, MIXING A NEUTRALIZING QUANTITY OF A NEUTRALIZING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND ANHYDROUS AMMONIA GAS WITH THE STIRRED, ACID-MODIFIED FLOUR, AND CONTINUING MIXING THE NEUTRALIZING AGENT AND ACID-MODIFIED FLOUR FOR ABOUT FROM 60 TO 90 MINUTES TO EFFECT NEUTRALIZATION OF THE FLOUR.