Rational design of dry fractionation: A deconvoluted approach

The transition towards an environmentally sustainable diet necessitates the consumption of plant-based foods. Ingredients for such foods are often isolated via aqueous separation processes and energy intensive drying steps to obtain a powder. A more sustainable alternative is the dry milling of seeds into a flour, from which different components such as starch and protein can then be sorted into enriched fractions using technologies that separate in air instead of in water. However, switching to such processes requires clear understanding of how to operate them to reach specific compositions or ingredient properties in general. Optimization is typically required when changing the seed or the equipment, which can pose a costly hurdle. This PhD research establishes a systematic approach to optimize dry fractionation for cereals and starch-rich pulses with minimal need for experimentation, through the development of a mechanistic model that accounts for key seed characteristics, and equipment design and operation.