Omas Giotto Wheat Sterilizer
The sterilizer removes the waterproof cellulose outer layers from wheat.
 
PADOVA, ITALY — Omas Industries earlier this year was selected as the technology partner to extend the Master Grain Milling plant in Jinjia, Uganda. The new 300-tonne-per-day mill will be built alongside an old Golfetto mill, which was completed in 2000, Omas said.

Under terms of the partnership, Omas will provide the mill with its “building economy” technology, which the company said will reduce the number of levels, construction volume, and total building and foundation weight by 20%.

Two cone-bottom silos with a mixer and capacity of 500 tonnes each will supply the mill. The facility also will be equipped with grain flow metering devices, Omas said.

Omas said the grain cleaning line will feature a Giotto wheat sterilizer to provide optimum management of the wheat. The sterilizer removes the waterproof cellulose outer layers, the company said.

“Using this process, which has been entirely developed by Omas, the surface of the caryopsis, as well as being stripped of any type of inorganic (soil, sand, metals, ash, etc.) and organic impurity (bacteria, fungi, mould, mycotoxins, etc.), undergoes an abrasion process to remove the cellulose and lignin layers that form the waterproof outer of the wheat grain,” Omas explained. “This way, the conditioning water can penetrate up to 30% more quickly and can also reach deep into the vitreous starchy kernel for easier milling but also much lower technological H2O evaporation that is not subject to the temperature and humidity in the air outside. The result is higher yields and reduced cleaning for plansifter channels and filter bags.”

Omas also said that a 5% to 8% reduction in ash content will allow the mill to extract 0.5% to 1% more white flour.

A Leonardo roller mill at the facility will feature KERS technology, patented by Omas. The KERS technology offers a 50% reduction in power input to the rollers, grain milling according to recipes stored in the mill to make different flours, mill remote tuning for remote control of milling settings, and reduced noise levels in the roller mill room. The technology also does not require transmission belts or preventive maintenance for its transmission parts, Omas said.

The Jinjia mill will have full Wi-Fi coverage and be managed from tablets that are fully controlled by PLC with Omas software. There will be a system to control milling performance, energy consumption and preventive maintenance, the company said.