A surface-worked granular product is produced by supplying raw granular material to a cylindrical retainer having apertures and retaining sites, floating the granular material by suctioning air from the cylindrical retainer, rotating a rotary working device installed in the cylindrical retainer, and contacting working protrusion protruding from the working device with the granular material to remove foreign substances and to perform surface-working of the granular material so as to form a rough surface without causing degeneration, denaturation or substantial removal of useful ingredients, wherein the surface-worked granular product has surface characteristics different from raw granular material.

The present invention “Production process of nixtamalized maize flour, nixtamalizing the maize fractions separately without producing nejayote”, considers the integration of the processes: Semi-humid milling of the maize (fractionated degerm), extruding of the maize endosperm and milling-instant dehydration of the different nixtamalized and extruded maize fractions, has as novelty the way in which the nixtamalization process is carried out and the objective is to provide a nixtamalized maize flour production system that reduces the residues from the maize grain and completely eliminating nejayote production.

The present invention “Production process of nixtamalized maize flour, nixtamalizing the maize fractions separately without producing nejayote”, considers the integration of the processes: Semi-humid milling of the maize (fractionated degerm), extruding of the maize endosperm and milling-instant dehydration of the different nixtamalized and extruded maize fractions, has as novelty the way in which the nixtamalization process is carried out and the objective is to provide a nixtamalized maize flour production system that reduces the residues from the maize grain and completely eliminating nejayote production.

A dehulling system for soft-shelled nuts includes at least two dehulling stations arranged in series, where each station is made up of at least one dehulling machine in a first dehulling stage and a screening machine in a second screening stage, both being a first and a second consecutive stages. The screening machine is a densimetric separator located lower than the dehulling machine and has an upper product inlet towards the interior thereof, which comprises a drum arranged according to an inclined plane, a first outlet for the dehulled grain in the upper part of the drum and a second outlet for the rest of materials other than the dehulled grain in the lower part of the drum.

A rotor (1) for a grinding machine (2) for the foodstuffs and feedstock industry, having an external diameter of between 0.5 and 0.6 m, comprising a plurality of substantially cylindrical, in particular hollow cylindrical, grinding elements (3). One such grinding element (3) has an outer grinding surface (4) substantially in the form of a circular cylinder jacket, and the grinding elements (3) are arranged coaxially above one another and in such a way that a substantially annular air gap (5) is produced between the grinding surfaces (4) of two adjacent grinding elements (3). A ratio between an enveloping surface (H) of the rotor (1) and a total grinding surface of the rotor (1) is greater than 1.05 and less than 1.25.

A rotor (1) for a grinding machine (2) for the foodstuffs and feedstock industry, having an external diameter of between 0.5 and 0.6 m, comprising a plurality of substantially cylindrical, in particular hollow cylindrical, grinding elements (3). One such grinding element (3) has an outer grinding surface (4) substantially in the form of a circular cylinder jacket, and the grinding elements (3) are arranged coaxially above one another and in such a way that a substantially annular air gap (5) is produced between the grinding surfaces (4) of two adjacent grinding elements (3). A ratio between an enveloping surface (H) of the rotor (1) and a total grinding surface of the rotor (1) is greater than 1.05 and less than 1.25.

A rice husker includes a pair of husking rolls. One of the pair of husking rolls is attached to a main shaft and the other of the pair of husking rolls is attached to an auxiliary shaft movable to be close to and away from the main shaft. The rice husker includes abnormality determination means. The abnormality determination means determines that the husking rolls fail to work normally when vibrations having a preset intensity larger than the preset intensity are successively detected by a vibration sensor until a certain time elapses. The certain time is from the start of a husking action to disappearance of distortion on a surface of the husking roll. The vibration sensor is provided on at least either of bearing units of the main shaft and the auxiliary shaft. The vibration sensor detects vibrations occurring due to the husking action by the pair of husking rolls.

A rice husker includes a pair of husking rolls. One of the pair of husking rolls is attached to a main shaft and the other of the pair of husking rolls is attached to an auxiliary shaft movable to be close to and away from the main shaft. The rice husker includes abnormality determination means. The abnormality determination means determines that the husking rolls fail to work normally when vibrations having a preset intensity larger than the preset intensity are successively detected by a vibration sensor until a certain time elapses. The certain time is from the start of a husking action to disappearance of distortion on a surface of the husking roll. The vibration sensor is provided on at least either of bearing units of the main shaft and the auxiliary shaft. The vibration sensor detects vibrations occurring due to the husking action by the pair of husking rolls.

Improved methods and apparatus for dry hulling or dry peeling harvested crops, particularly pistachio nuts, are disclosed. The methods and apparatus of the present invention provide crop harvesting with great efficiency resulting in consistently high percentages of hulled or peeled crops and low percentages of nut breakage, without increasing processing times regardless of the sizes of the crops being hulled or peeled. The methods and apparatus of the present invention also provide for a relatively small overall machine footprint, plus easy and efficient removal and replacement of the impingement drum to accommodate for different drum speeds, different crop sizes, different bolt patterns, different bolt sizes, and other variations allowing embodiments of the invention to be used on a wide range of nuts and vegetables of different varieties, sizes and shapes.

Improved methods and apparatus for dry hulling or dry peeling harvested crops, particularly pistachio nuts, are disclosed. The methods and apparatus of the present invention provide crop harvesting with great efficiency resulting in consistently high percentages of hulled or peeled crops and low percentages of nut breakage, without increasing processing times regardless of the sizes of the crops being hulled or peeled. The methods and apparatus of the present invention also provide for a relatively small overall machine footprint, plus easy and efficient removal and replacement of the impingement drum to accommodate for different drum speeds, different crop sizes, different bolt patterns, different bolt sizes, and other variations allowing embodiments of the invention to be used on a wide range of nuts and vegetables of different varieties, sizes and shapes.