Clean

Jim,

That cleanliness needs to extend to the mill coating kitchen, in particular the starch cookers. Being tidy and getting rid of "stuff" is important, but cleanliness in dealing with additives is critical to performance.

Left over starch or coatings can basically become a starter culture. Starter cultures are great for sour dough bread, but not a machine. You wouldn't cook in a pot that has been sitting on a stove with left over food in all day, yet this is often done with starch in batch after batch. Check vats for a "bathtub" ring. These are likely to be loaded with bacteria and fungi producing amylase enzymes to degrade starch to sugars and reduce the pH. Foul odors in the finished product may come from this source. Putting uncooked starch through a cooker will kill many bacteria, but not spores and thermophilic bacteria. Even if biocides are added at this point, the material is not what you paid for and may not act as a proper binding agent.

Clean equipment to bare metal and keep additives in top condition or you will not get optimal performance.

Linda Robertson

St. Charles, Illinois

USA

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