Liquefying aqueous starch slurry followed by saccharification with ion exchange resin

Claim 2

A process for converting the starch fraction derived from whole dry milled cereal grain to a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar, said starch containing water insoluble protein and oil, which comprises: (a) liquefying an aqueous slurry of the starch in the presence of an acid hydrolysis catalyst to provide sterile aqueous partial starch hydrolysate slurry containing the water insoluble protein and oil in substantially unaltered condition; (b) separating the slurry resulting from liquefying step (a) into an aqueous sterile slurry of partial starch hydrolysate and an aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein and oil; and, (c) saccharifying the relatively thin aqueous slurry of partial starch hydrolysate in the presence of an acidic cationic exchange resin to provide a sterile fermentable sugar.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1, wherein the cereal grain feed for liquefying step (a) is corn or milo.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1, wherein the cereal grain feed for liquefying step (a) is dehulled corn or milo.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1, wherein the sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar is subjected to fermentation to provide dilute aqueous ethanol.

Claim 6

The process of claim 4, wherein the dilute aqueous ethanol is concentrated in a rectifying column with the aqueous bottoms from said rectifying column being recycled for use in a subsequent liquefying step (a).

Claim 7

The process of claim 5, wherein the concentrated ethanol is substantially dehydrated to provide anhydrous ethanol.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: (d) diluting the aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein and oil resulting from step (b) with water; (e) separating water from the water insoluble protein and oil resulting from step (d); and, (f) recycling the water recovered in step (e) for use in a subsequent liquefying step (a).

Claim 9

The process of claim 1, wherein the acid is at least one member of the group consisting of nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid.

Claim 10

The process of claim 8, wherein ammonia or aqueous ammonia is added to the saccharified starch to neutralize the free acid therein and form at least one salt selected from the group consisting of ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride and ammonium phosphate.

Claim 11

The process of claim 1, wherein the acid cationic exchange resin is sulfonated cross-linked polystyrene or sulfonated phenol-aldehyde condensation product.

Claim 12

The process of claim 1, wherein stillage bottoms containing unfermentable sugar repolymerizates and/or isomers are subjected to saccharifying step (b) to convert said repolymerizates and/or isomers to fermentable sugar.

Claim 13

A process for converting the starch fraction derived from dry milled degerminated cereal grain to a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar, said starch containing water insoluble protein, a relatively minor amount of the oil of the whole cereal grain, which comprises: (a) liquefying an aqueous slurry of the starch in the presence of an acid hydrolysis catalyst to provide sterile aqueous partial starch hydrolysate slurry containing the water insoluble protein in substantially unaltered condition; (b) separating the slurry resulting from liquefying step (a) into an aqueous sterile slurry of partial starch hydrolysate and an aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein; (c) saccharifying the aqueous slurry of partial starch hydrolysate in the presence of an acidic cationic exchange resin to provide a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar; (d) diluting the aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein from step (b) with water; (e) separating water from the water insoluble protein resulting from step (d); and, (f) recycling the water recovered in step (e) for use in a subsequent liquefying step (a).

Claim 14

A process for converting the starch fraction derived from dry milled degerminated cereal grain to a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar, said starch containing water insoluble protein, a relatively minor amount of the oil of the whole cereal grain, which comprises: (a) liquefying an aqueous slurry of the starch in the presence of an acid hydrolysis catalyst to provide sterile aqueous partial starch hydrolysate slurry containing the water insoluble protein in substantially unaltered condition; (b) separating the slurry resulting from liquefying step (a) into an aqueous sterile slurry of partial starch hydrolysate and an aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein; (c) saccharifying the aqueous slurry of partial starch hydrolysate in the presence of an acidic cationic exchange resin to provide a sterile aqueous solution of fermentable sugar; (d) diluting the aqueous slurry of water insoluble protein from step (b) with water; (e) separating water from the water insoluble protein resulting from step (d); and, (f) recycling the water recovered in step (e) for use in a subsequent liquefying step (a).

Claim 15

The process of claim 12 wherein the cereal grain feed for liquefying step (a) is degerminated corn or milo.

Claim 16

The process of claim 12 wherein the cereal grain feed for liquefying step (a) is degerminated, dehulled corn or milo.

Claim 17

The process of claim 12 wherein the relatively minor amount of oil in the water insoluble protein fraction is removed therefrom.

Claim 18

The process of claim 1, wherein said starch further contains one of water soluble components selected from the group consisting of sugar, protein, vitamin, mineral, and any combination thereof.

Claim 19

The process of claim 12, wherein said starch further contains one of water soluble components selected from the group consisting of sugar, protein, vitamin, mineral, and any combination thereof.