REDUCED-PRESSURIZED HEAT-MOISTURE TREATMENT - A NEW METHOD FOR HEAT-MOISTURE TREATMENT OF STARCH

The method for heat-moisture treatment of starch, which has been rathe r difficulty applied to large scale production, could be improved for new industrial applications. The newly developed method consists of th e combination of pressure reduction of a vessel containing starch and subsequent heating of the starch with introduced live steam. Less gela tinized, heat-moisture treated starch was obtained with this method in a larger scale within a treatment time shorter than the traditional m ethod. The mechanism was considered to involve the homogeneous diffusi on of steam into starch layer to result effective heat transfer from t he steam to the starch granules and to suppress partial condensation o f the steam.