Method of hydroprocessing wheat

Claim 1

In a process of hydroprocessing wheat to obtain a wheat product free from husk, said process being of the type wherein wheat is immersed in an aqueous medium and ground or macerated so as to substantially completely disrupt the normal cellular structure of and disperse the endosperm, and wherein the component fractions are subsequently separated from said ground or macerated wheat, throughout said process substantially all of the starch granules being maintained in an intact, ungelatinized form and substantially all of the gluten protein being maintained in a dispersible form and essentially undenatured with respect to doughing function, the improvement which comprises the step of: inoculating said aqueous medium with a nonpathogenic organism which is not deleterious to said wheat product or said process and which will grow under the conditions of said process, the organic density of said nonpathogenic organism being sufficient to seed the hydroprocessing system with said nonpathogenic organism and create conditions nonconducive to the growth of pathogenic organisms, thereby reducing the potential for growth of said pathogenic organisms in said system.

Claim 8

A method for hydroprocessing wheat to separate the endosperm from the husk and germ tissues, said method comprising the steps: a. steeping 1 part by weight of wheat in at least 0.6 parts by weight of an aqueous acid steeping medium at temperatures ranging from 18° C. to about 45° C. until the grain has attained a moisture content of from about 41% to about 56% by weight of the hydrated grain, said steeping medium containing acid in concentration and quantity sufficient to maintain the pH of said steeping medium external of the grain between 1.2 and 5.0 and to reduce the internal pH of the hydrated grain to between 3.0 and 5.6, said steeping medium also containing an inoculant of a nonpathogenic organism which will regenerate itself under the conditions of steeping specified herein and which is not deleterious to the wheat product or process, the organism density of said nonpathogenic organism being sufficient to seed the hydroprocessing system with said nonpathogenic organism and thereby reduce the potential for growth of pathogenic organisms in said system; b. macerating the hydrated grain to split the husk and expose the endosperm as a plastic mass while maintaining at least 90% by weight of the husk and the germ above a minimum dimension of 300 microns; c. dispersing the macerated grain in an aqueous dispersing medium to a solids concentration of from 4% to about 30% and maintaining the pH of said dispersion between about 3.0 and 5.6; the dispersing shear being sufficient to disengage the endosperm from the husk and germ tissues; and, d. separating said dispersion into a particulate husk and germ fraction and an endosperm dispersion while maintaining throughout the process substantially all of the starch granules in an intact, ungelatinized form and maintaining substantially all of the gluten protein in a dispersible and substantially undenatured state with respect to doughing function.

Claim 9

A method for hydroprocessing wheat to separate the endosperm from the husk and germ tissues, said method comprising the steps: a. steeping 1 part by weight of wheat in at least 0.6 parts by weight of an aqueous acid steeping medium at temperatures ranging from 18° C. to about 45° C. until the grain has attained a moisture content of from about 41% to about 56% by weight of the hydrated grain, said steeping medium containing acid in concentration and quantity sufficient to maintain the pH of said steeping medium external of the grain between 1.2 and 5.0 and to reduce the internal pH of the hydrated grain to between 3.0 and 5.6, said steeping medium also containing an inoculant of a nonpathogenic organism which will regenerate itself under the conditions of steeping specified herein and which is not deleterious to the wheat product or process, the organism density of said nonpathogenic organism being sufficient to seed the hydroprocessing system with said nonpathogenic organism and thereby reduce the potential for growth of pathogenic organisms in said system; b. macerating the hydrated grain to split the husk and expose the endosperm as a plastic mass while maintaining at least 90% by weight of the husk and the germ above a minimum dimension of 300 microns; c. dispersing the macerated grain in an aqueous dispersing medium to a solids concentration of from 4% to about 30% and maintaining the pH of said dispersion between about 3.0 and 5.6; the dispersing shear being sufficient to disengage the endosperm from the husk and germ tissues; and, d. separating said dispersion into a particulate husk and germ fraction and an endosperm dispersion while maintaining throughout the process substantially all of the starch granules in an intact, ungelatinized form and maintaining substantially all of the gluten protein in a dispersible and substantially undenatured state with respect to doughing function.