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Without the use of flour mills, many of the grains consumed in a variety of different forms would not be available to the general public. The bread loaves, pancakes, muffins, pasta, and all other products that come from grain would not be so easy to obtain without a reliable and efficient way to change them from their natural state into an edible product.
What is a flour mill?
The most commonly eaten types of grains are cereals and legumes. Legumes are beans, soybeans, lentils, peas, even peanuts. These need to be processed in order to be transformed into consumable products for the masses, but they do not have to be broken down to the extent that cereal grains are. Due to the physical structure of cereal grains such as wheat, barley, and rye, they have to be broken down by machines in order to produce products like flour.
Flour mills, which are sometimes referred to as grain mills, break down the grain into smaller parts and separate them. These machines can range in size from a small version that will fit in the kitchen, to a large commercial version made for manufacturing space. Both do essentially the same thing, with the difference being in the volume. Small machines are made for personal use and can usually grind enough grain to make products for the family. Large machines are used by food companies to produce mass quantities for sale as a commercial good.
How does the commercial version work?
In a commercial mill, the grain is cleaned then “tempered", which means the grain is soaked in water to enlarge its moisture content to make it easier to roll. After it’s tempered, the grain is moved through a series of rollers, which break up the grain into its separate parts: endosperm, bran and germ. Each section creates a different type of four, with separate properties and textures. The endosperm can be grounded down into a finer texture, so it is used for the white variety. For the whole wheat variety, the equipment adds the bran and germ back in.
Commercial flour mills are an essential part of the agricultural industry in the US and around the world. Because it can do the work that would take laborers much more time to complete, grain is available to the general public at a very reasonable price. Those looking to update their systems or set up a manufacturing site should contact a trusted machinery dealer to learn more about the offerings available.
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