Claims
- 1. A process for hydrating material comprising:
- placing a material consisting of dry whole grain, in a generally vertical storage facility;
- feeding a liquid comprising water to the top of the storage facility and onto the storage material;
- allowing the liquid to flow through the material to the bottom of the storage facility; and
- recirculating the liquid from the bottom of the storage facility to the top of the storage facility until the stored material is uniformly hydrated to a desired amount.
- 2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the desired amount is from about 25% to the maximum absorption percent by weight of the hydrated material.
- 3. A process according to claim 2 wherein said grain material consists of corn, barley, wheat or sorghum and the desired amount of hydration is about 30-35% by weight without loss of liquid through runoff.
- 4. A process according to claim 1 wherein fermentation is allowed to occur during the recirculation of the liquid.
- 5. A process according the claim 4 wherein additional microorganisms are added to the recirculating liquid in order to cause fermentation.
- 6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the recirculating liquid is pasteurized before feeding the liquid to the top of the storage facility, said pasteurizing preventing the growth of undesirable organisms.
- 7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the material is periodically removed and additional material is added to the vertical storage facility, the removed material being re-hydrated and enriched to the desired amount.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 356,475 filed May 2, 1973 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
356475 |
May 1973 |
|