Project Number: 5325-41000-045-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: May 12, 2004
End Date: Nov 30, 2004

Objective:
Devise large-scale technologies to enable the efficient and environmentally sound separation of wheat starch and protein from wheat flour, evaluate the quality of resulting products and co-products, and determine economic feasibility at different scales. Create and evaluate selective membrane barriers for the separation of ethanol-from-water and water-from-ethanol, and optimize appropriate films by applying chemical or enzymatic treatments.Develop models to improve separation strategies.

Approach:
Invent improved separation concepts combining mechanical separation with fluid displacement methods based on the refrigerated ethanol method developed here, and evaluate scale-up potential.Apply the techniques to simulate pilot and commercial processes and produce large samples of gluten and starch. Use the fractions to quantify quality factors in conventional food uses (such as flour fortification) and in new uses (polymer formulations) that make use of the unique properties. Quality factors include drying rate of gluten; ease of fractionation, protein distribution, protein vitality, and functionality (vis-a-vis bread making). Analyze process potential for solubility-based subfractionation of the protein into gliadin and glutenin fractions.Test highly selective and permeable biomaterial films for their ability to separate ethanol from water and water from ethanol,ensuring that these films can withstand a large pressure drop encountered during industrial pervaporation.Optimize these films by chemical and enzymatic modifications. Formerly 5325-41000-037-00D (07/04).

Project Team

Robertson, George Offeman, Richard Wood, Delilah - De Orts, William - Bill

Related National Programs

Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products (306)   Bioenergy & Energy Alternatives (307)