One waxy and three regular yellow dent corn hybrids were wet milled by
using two scales of laboratory procedures (modified 100-g and 1-kg) a
nd a pilot-plant procedure (10-kg). The modified 100-g and 1-kg labora
tory procedures gave similar yields of wet-milling fractions. Starch y
ields and recoveries were significantly lower for the pilot-plant proc
edure, whereas gluten and fiber yields were greater because of their h
igh contents of unrecovered starch. Protein contents of the starches o
btained by all three procedures were within commercially acceptable li
mits (<0.50% db for normal dent corn and <0.30% for waxy corn). Rankin
gs for starch yields and starch recoveries for the four hybrids, havin
g very different physical and compositional properties, were the same
for all three procedures. The harder the grain, the lower the yield an
d recovery of starch. Least significant differences (P < 0.05) for sta
rch yield were 0.8% for the modified 100-g procedure, 1.2% for the 1-k
g procedure, and 2.0% for the pilot-plant procedure.