The rice flour production process involves several processing methods, one of which is wet milling. This method has an important role in producing high quality rice flour with various applications in the food industry. This article will discuss the facts related to the wet milling process in processing rice flour.
- Definition of Wet Milling
Wet milling is a grinding method that involves the use of water as the main medium during the process. In general, this process occurs in several stages and involves several special equipment to separate the different parts of the rice.
- Wet Milling Stages in Rice Flour Processing
a. Cleaning: At this stage, the rice is initially cleaned of dirt, stones, and other foreign substances. The aim of this stage is to ensure that the raw material used in the next process is clean rice.
b. Soaking: Rice is then soaked in water for a certain time. This soaking aims to increase the moisture of the rice, make it softer, and make the subsequent grinding process easier.
c. Milling: At this stage, the soaked rice is ground to produce a suspension called "slurry." This grinding is done using special machines, such as disc mills or stone mills.
d. Separation: The resulting slurry is then separated into different fractions using settling or filtering methods. The resulting parts include flour, water, and fiber.
e. Drying: The resulting flour is dried to remove residual moisture and achieve the desired moisture content. Drying can be done using a drying machine or a natural process using sunlight.
- Advantages of Wet Milling in Rice Flour Processing
a. Improved Flour Quality: The wet milling process can produce rice flour with a high level of fineness and good nutritional quality.
b. More Efficient Utilization: This method allows more efficient utilization of raw materials because it can separate the various components of rice better.
c. Process Control: Wet milling allows better control of several process parameters, such as temperature and humidity, which can affect the final quality of the flour.
d. Reduction of Product Losses: This process can reduce the amount of product loss due to more efficient processing.
The wet milling process has an important role in producing high quality rice flour with various advantages. With an in-depth understanding of these stages, the rice flour processing industry can continue to improve production efficiency and produce products that meet high quality standards.