PRODUCTION
At KRÖNER-STÄRKE, only wheat flours with defined properties and our own spring water are used for the industrial production of wheat starch and wheat gluten. The separation process of the flour ingredients is based on purely physical principles that are used technologically. In the continuous production, a water-flour mixture is separated in a decanter centrifuge into the fractions A-starch and gluten and B-starch. The B-starch is washed out of the soft, rubbery gluten and sieved off. The wet products are cleaned, mechanically dewatered and thermally dried.
Starch Production Process (A-Starch)
The starch is diluted with fresh water, refined, thickened in a large-capacity centrifuge and then gently dried in a hot air stream to a maximum water content of 13% and ground.
Production Process of Pregelatinized Starch (B-Starch)
The starch is thickened, digested on steam-heated rollers, dried and then ground. The digestion process gives the product its characteristic cold swelling properties.
Production Process of Wheat Gluten
The wheat gluten is dewatered using dewatering screws, gently dried in a circulating air dryer and then ground. The resulting powdery product retains its natural viscoelastic properties.
Cereal flours and cereal starches are processed into pregelatinized flours and pregelatinized starches with characteristic cold-swelling properties by means of physical pulping using roller drying .
The extrusion process is used to break down different flours and starch products individually or in mixtures by purely physical means. After the addition of spring water, the selected raw material is plasticized in a cylinder under the influence of pressure and temperature and with the aid of shearing and kneading forces. The heat treatment (cooking process) inside the extrusion cylinder denatures the proteins and gelatinizes the starch. Microorganisms and naturally occurring enzymes are largely killed or inactivated. When the product leaves the extrusion cylinder, the added water evaporates due to a sudden reduction in pressure. The dried product is then ground.
Compared to native flours, extruded and roller-dried flours have a pronounced thickening behavior at room temperature, for example. Due to the cooking process, they are easily digestible and are food within the meaning of German food law.