Northern Crops Institute Grain Milling Capabilities

The Northern Crops Institute was formed in 1983 to support the promotion of northern grown crops, chief of which at the time were hard red spring wheat and durum wheat. Since 1983 NCI has expanded its efforts to include work on number of northern grown crops including barley, corn, pulse crops, and oil seeds. However, the promotion of wheat through pilot milling remains a primary focus of the institute.

Pilot Swing Mill

Originally built in 1991 as a durum mill, the pilot swing mill at NCI was completely renovated and upgraded in 2009 as an efficient swing mill. The pilot swing mill is capable of milling to produce flour, durum semolina, and whole wheat flour. NCI provides pilot test milling services on a practical scale with a throughput of 180 pounds per hour. This provides industry corresponding milling information on small sample quantities of wheat. The NCI pilot mill is a sophisticated small-scale version of commercial wheat mills. Pilot-scale or test-scale quantities of bread wheats (hard red Spring, hard red winter and hard white) can be milled into flour for quality and test baking/processing evaluations. Durum wheat can be milled into semolina or flour for pasta quality evaluation.

Key specification for NCI’s Pilot Swing Mill includes the following:

Commodities: Hard Spring Wheat, Hard Winter Wheat, Durum Wheat

Processing Rate: 180 pounds per hour; Optimal size trial = 300 to 400 pounds.

Extraction Rate: Hard Wheat = 75%; Durum Wheat = 75% Extraction (55% Semolina)

Processing Target: Simulate performance and flour quality of commercial mills

The pilot swing mill consists of a long-break system with five break passages separated into course and fine breaks from the second break. The mill has a bran grinding roll. Milled product is conveyed to the top of four floors and gravity fed to downstream processing steps using Kice pneumatics. Purification is accomplished using 3 purifiers divided into 6 purification systems. The reduction system includes one sizing passage and 8 reduction passages including 2 tailings and 6 middlings. Tempering is accomplished using a batch system that allows multiple samples for same-day processing and the retention of optimal sample identity.

Extraction data is available for each milled batch. Ash, protein, and rheological testing on flour and semolina products can be conducted at NCI upon request. Additionally, bakery products, pasta products, and extruded products, and quality evaluations can be produced from flour and semolina derived from the pilot swing mill. The mill has a batch flour mixer for flour blending and enrichment requirements. The mill has storage bins and flour packing equipment for bag sizes up to 50 pounds.

Pilot Swing Mill Equipment Summary:

Mill: 18 – six-inch Creason Roll Stands; Great Western Sifter with 3 Purifiers and 6 Passages; 3 Buhler Purifiers with 6 Passages

Cleaning System: Buhler Classifier with Aspiration; Buhler Color Sorter; Batch System Temper; Kice Pneumatic System

The NCI has positioned its pilot mill as a cost-effective technology for clients to evaluate commodity milling quality characteristics along with milled components quality. The NCI pilot mill provides its facility, utilities, and professional staff at a rate of $1,800 per day. Most clients do not have sophisticated small-scale, pilot milling facilities that can emulate commercial milling operations.

The NCI pilot mill provides accurate, timely milling information for clients for a fraction of the cost involved in operating and maintaining a pilot mill. NCI operates on a confidential basis with all clients and provides security of clientele intellectual property. A bonus for clients is the direct participation of client personnel during testing at the NCI pilot mill facility. Direct client participation builds client-NCI relationships and trust.

Fitzmill Hammer Mill

NCI uses its Fiztmill Hammer Mill to grind an extensive diversity of grains, pulses, and oilseeds. The Fitzmill employs a variable speed hammer mill to pulverize commodities and force milled components through selected screens. Commodities can be cooled in the hammer mill chamber with liquid nitrogen and can cool the hammer mill housing with a water jacket to minimize heat damage to milled materials. NCI has milled all classes of wheat, corn, peas, lentils, dry beans, barley, and oilseeds. The Fitzmill is a single pass whole grain mill that is quite flexible in producing, meals and flours from a remarkably wide range of commodities.

Buhler MLU-202 Laboratory Flour Mill

NCI can mill smaller, laboratory-scale samples of 2 to 50 pounds in its Buhler MLU-202 Laboratory Flour Mill. The Buhler lab mill uses a six-roll system to make refined flour products. NCI can mill a wide variety of grains on the lab mill that include hard spring wheat, hard winter wheat, barley, rye, and ancient grain varieties.

Additional Flour and Semolina Testing Services Provided at NCI

Ash, Protein, and Rheological Testing; Baking or Pasta Finished Goods Performance;
Batch Flour Blending and Enrichment Addition

If you are interested in more information on NCI’s milling capabilities, please contact:

David Boehm, Technical Manager
Northern Crops Institute
North Dakota State University
1240 Bolley Drive
Fargo, ND 58102
Phone: (701) 231-7736
Email: David.boehm@ndsu.edu