Conventional wet milling steeps corn using large countercurrent batteries of steep tanks, the design of which is unique to every wet mill facility. Because of the tanks' size and the variability of the incoming corn, it is difficult to determine optimal operating parameters, to study steeping principles, or to explore the use of steep chemical adjuncts. This computer controlled system will be a tool to allow for detailed studies in these areas.

Garlic, a naturally occurring weed seed which contaminates soft red winter wheat, is difficult to separate from the wheat. The garlic bulblets decrease flour mill efficiency by fouling the corrugations of the break rolls resulting in mill imbalance and lower prime flour recovery. This project studies the relationship between garlic concentration, garlic moisture content, and the economic losses experienced by the mill. The study will recommend changes to current grading practices.

Intermittent milling and dynamic steeping (IMDS) is a process by which the kernel is milled in stages following short periods of steeping. The result is faster hydration of the kernel and diffusion of sulfite into the endosperm. Laboratory tests show that the IMDS process increases total starch recovery in a 5-hour process compared to the conventional wet milling process. The process yields comparable products to conventional wet milling. The increased starch appears to come from decreased production of solubles during steeping and from less starch in the fiber.

The quick germ process decreases the cost of ethanol production by 4 to 12 cents by recovering germ and increasing capital utilization of the fermentor. Project objectives are to develop pilot-scale procedures for testing the process and to study the economic effect of using a single grind for germ recovery compared to the conventional wet mill double grind.

The objective of this research is to develop and test magnetic thermometry (utilization of the temperature-dependent magnetic properties of some materials) to measure temperatures in particles during the aseptic processing of multiphase foods. A sensor system will be constructed including a magnetic sensor, pick-up coils, and magnetic sensor beads. A pilot-scale aseptic process will be used and temperatures and residence times of flowing particles will be measured during the heating processes.

The project objective is to determine the feasibility of dewatering and drying biosolids from three process streams at a commercial food-processing facility. Procedures include evaluation of the properties of the three streams and developing techniques to combine and dewater/dry the product(s). This includes studying the feasibility of combining the streams prior to dewatering and/or drying and testing the proposed process for feasibility.

The objective of this research is to measure and model water transport during the cooking of cereal-based goods. Specific objectives include (1) the study of starch gelatinization and protein solubilization kinetics, (2) determination of moisture transport properties like diffusion coefficient and swelling viscosity, and (3) development of a process model that accounts for heat and mass transfer, reaction kinetics, and swelling of the product during cooking.

The objective of this research is measurement of transient physical properties in complex food materials during processing. The specific objectives include measurement of transient (1) water diffusivity, (2) thermal conductivity, (3) thermal diffusivity, and (4) physical structure during processing and storage of complex agricultural materials including a model food, seeds, and grains. Microscopic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are being used to nondestructively and noninvasively measure transient physical properties during processing operations. Visualization algorithms will be used to study (1) proton density images, (2) T;i1- and T;i2-weighted images, (3) diffusion-weighted images, (4) chemical shift images, (5) T;i1, T;i2, and diffusion mapping, and (6) other MR data.

The overall goal of this proposed research is measurement of transient temperatures in food particulates during thermal processing. The specific objectives include (1) quantification of accuracy, sensitivity, resolution, and speed of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T;i1 mapping to measure temperature profiles during the heating of stationary particulates with a flowing liquid and (2) determination of the liquid-particle convective heat transfer coefficient along surfaces of particulates.

The objective of this project is to develop an alternative separation technique to recover the biosolids from a food-processing facility, including testing alternatives to polymer flocculents for the dewatering of biosolids. Since the eventual use of these biosolids is as an animal food supplement, various biological and food materials are being investigated as alternatives to commercial flocculents. Materials currently used as commercial flocculents are suspected carcinogens and are not approved for animal feeding. Specific studies include (1) particle size and electrostatic characterization of biosolids from a cheese-processing plant and of various biological food materials and (2) mixing, dewatering, and drying studies of various potential flocculents.

The objective of this research is to develop and test techniques to noninvasively measure temperatures in particulates during the aseptic processing of multiphase foods. Measurement of the temperature at the cold spot in food particles is needed to determine the extent of sterilization acquired during thermal processing. A pilot-scale aseptic process will be used, and particle temperatures will be measured noninvasively during the heating, holding, and cooling processes.

This project is developing engineering practices for the use of image analysis and machine vision for quantitative analysis in biological and agricultural systems. The specific objectives of this program are to develop standardized sensor calibration techniques for quantifying the spectral and spatial response of image sensors properties of biological and agricultural specimens; to explore methods for characterizing a vision sensor response relative to the requirements of specific biological and agricultural processes; and to identify image processing suitable for real-time applications to biological and agricultural systems.

The premise of this research is that cell level characteristics of some bioprocesses measured using machine vision sensing can be used to control a fermentation process. The system integrates traditional fermentation process control with an automatic sampling system, a machine vision system, and a microscope, all under the control of a supervisory computer system. The sampling system delivers microliter samples from the fermentor to the microscope for imaging. A machine vision system analyzes images of the fermentation liquid and extracts features representing the state of growth and development. The supervisory control system uses image features and process characteristics to make decisions on the environmental conditions in the fermentor.

This research project investigates the development of tissue culture methods for large-scale, commercially viable production of natural plant pigments to substitute for synthetic pigments in food processing. The research is developing ways of converting callus production of plant cells to bioreactor systems for natural plant pigment synthesis and recovery. Plant pigments, as secondary products of metabolism, are assuming an increasingly important role as safe, practical alternatives to currently disputed synthetic food colorants. Machine vision sensing is used to quantify color changes with pigment production to control the fermentation process.