Why Water Is Added in the Maize Milling Process?

Maize Physical Structure

In the maize milling process, water is added to the maize (conditioning) to adjust the moisture content and create optimal conditions for degermination and milling. The main reasons are as follows:

1. Soften the bran and germ

   After adding water, the bran and germ become softer and more flexible, making them less likely to break and easier to separate intact.

2. Keep the endosperm relatively firm

   Proper moisture helps maintain the firmness of the endosperm, reducing excessive grinding and improving flour yield.

3. Improve degermination and dehulling efficiency

   Conditioned maize allows more effective separation of bran, germ, and endosperm in the degermination process.

4. Reduce dust and broken kernels

   Proper moisture adjustment lowers breakage, reduces dust generation, and improves the working environment.

5. Enhance final product quality

   It helps produce maize flour with a whiter color, more uniform particle size, and more stable quality.

Therefore, moisture conditioning is a critical and essential step in the maize flour milling process.

Two Layers Stainless Steel Damper

In our Maize conditioning,tempering and degerminating system, we always use this two layers stainess steel damper for adding water into maize.

After thorough cleaning,the Maize undergoes a series of steps to prepare it for

high-quality grits or flour production.

·Equipment: Water Dampening Machine (also called a conditioner).

· Process:

1. Cleaned Maize enters the dampening machine, where a controlled amount of water

is sprayed or misted onto the kernels.

2. Moisture Adjustment: Increases moisture content from~12% (raw) to 14-16%,

depending on Maize variety and processing requirements.

·Purpose:

1. Softens the bran and germ, reducing brittleness and minimizing kernel breakage

during degerminating.

2. Enhances separation eficiency of bran and germ in subsequent stages.

Moisture bin with stainless steel

Equipment: Tempering Bins (stainless steel or food-grade silos with

temperature/humidity control).

· Process:

1. Moisturized Maize is transferred to tempering bins and allowed to rest for 30-60

minutes(according different raw material, different final product, the time should also be

different)

2. During this period,moisture penetrates uniformly into the endosperm,bran,and

germ layers.

Optional: Gentle agitation or airflow ensures even moisture distribution.

All the step are confirm to get the high extraction and high quality of maize flour.

For more details, please contact with us via WhatsApp +8613933057265.

Jane Liu

jane@hdfmill.com