Model-based approach to the design and scale-up of wheat milling operations — Proof of concept

Study on the effects of smooth roll grinding conditions on reduction of wheat middlings using response surface methodology

Influence of the milling parameters on the reduction process of the wheat middlings by the smooth rolls was investigated. Three level and four variables Box-Behnken experimental design with response surface methodology was applied in order to evaluate effects of milling parameters and to optimize grinding conditions for various responses. As independent variables roll gap (0.04-0.1 mm), differential (1.1.-1.9), roll speed (300-500 rpm) and feed rate (0.2-0.4 kg/cm min) were employed. Responsive variables were flour yield, ash content and energy consumption. In order to optimize milling process adequate models were obtained by regression analysis. Possibilities of the optimization of the milling parameters in order to obtain different combination of the desired outputs are illustrated by four examples.

Modeling Food Particle Systems: A Review of Current Progress and Challenges

For many years, food engineers have attempted to describe physical phenomena such as heat and mass transfer in food via mathematical models. Still, the impact and benefits of computer-aided engineering are less established in food than in most other industries today. Complexity in the structure and composition of food matrices are largely responsible for this gap. During processing of food, its temperature, moisture, and structure can change continuously, along with its physical properties. We summarize the knowledge foundation, recent progress, and remaining limitations in modeling food particle systems in four relevant areas: flowability, size reduction, drying, and granulation and agglomeration. Our goal is to enable researchers in academia and industry dealing with food powders to identify approaches to address their challenges with adequate model systems or through structural and compositional simplifications. With advances in computer simulation capacity, detailed particle-scale models are now available for many applications. Here, we discuss aspects that require further attention, especially related to physics-based contact models for discrete-element models of food particle systems.