Wet milling characteristics of export commodity corn originating from different international geographical locations

Abstract

Background and objectives Soft endosperm corn has better wet milling characteristics but is susceptible to breakage and fracture during transport. The objective of this study is to compare the millability of commodity corn with different endosperm hardness originating from different parts of the world and its economic impact on importers of corn for wet milling. Findings US commodity corn generally has a soft endosperm hardness compared to corn from South America as the observed broken corn and foreign material was 0.4–3.4% and higher than other commodity corn exported to the same country. US corn exported to different international markets showed 4–5% higher starch yield compared to South American corn exported to the same market. This translates to an additional revenue of 6.5–9 million USD/year for a 2540 MT/day wet mill plant. [Correction added on 13 April 2021, after first online publication: The value of yield corrected from 100 to 2540.] Conclusions The US commodity corn, despite higher breakage, has superior millability and gives higher starch yields compared to corn from other geographies resulting in improved profitability of corn wet milling plants. Significance and novelty Commodity corn has varying endosperm hardness depending on geography of origin which impacts wet mill starch yield. Corn physical properties were used as an indicator for determining endosperm hardness.

Characterization and Comparison of Wet Milling Fractions of Export Commodity Corn Originating from Different International Geographical Locations

“…The similar observations were found in another study where the millability of US commodity corn was compared with the commodity corn from the different international geographical locations. [ 12 ] Therefore, it can be stated that the physical characteristics of the corn do not reflect its millability and thus the starch yield can be determined thoroughly by performing the laboratory wet milling.…”

“…Percentage recovery recorded was in good agreement with the earlier studies carried out with 100 g scale laboratory wet milling. [ 12,16 ] The germ recovered was ground and analyzed for oil content which was found to be in a range of 29.96–50.00% by weight on a dry basis. The germ contributed to around 3–6% of the total solids recovered.…”

“…There was no significant difference in the germ recoveries, however, the higher germ recovery was corroborated with the soft endosperm corn, this outcome is consistent with the findings in previous studies. [12,17] The recovered gluten was around 4.01-6.52% w/w of the total corn undergoing wet milling. Soft endosperm corn is expected to give lower gluten yield compared to hard endosperm corn.…”

“…[ 11 ] This study is in succession with a previous study from our group which presented the assessment of the millability of USA and South American (Brazil and Argentina) commodity corn collected from different geographical locations (Colombia, Taiwan, and Tunisia) in the year 2019. [ 12 ] The present study involves the assessment of the millability of the corn harvested in the year 2020 to assess the variations in the wet milling characteristics compared to the previous crop year and includes three additional origin locations (Ukraine, Serbia, and Indonesia) and four additional collection locations viz. Egypt, South Korea, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia along with Taiwan and Colombia.…”

Research on Machine Learning Models for Maize Hardness Prediction Based on Indentation Test

“…The above processes can largely destroy the surface of the grain and even accompany the occurrence of cracks and localized fragmentation, which ultimately affect the quality of the grain. Therefore, it is essential to take reasonable and effective measures to mitigate the effects of mechanization on grain to protect its integrity [6]. In recent years, grain hardness has become a standard for market pricing and grain classification, as well as an indicator used in world trade.…”