Intake: the fuel of life
There is increasing interest among consumers about the quality of food they put into their bodies. In the food industry, there is increasing interest in the quality of ingredients provided by suppliers. We’re lucky here at EDME to be located close to some of the best cereal grain growers in the country. But you still might want to know what happens when that excellent grain arrives on site. To satisfy your curiosity – and reassure your customers about the quality of ingredients throughout your supply chain – take a look at our Intake processes:
Step 1: lorry tip
Lorries tip materials into allocated storage hatches. Materials can range from raw cereals, malt, gluten free grains. To avoid any cross contamination, gluten free grains are delivered at a different time to other materials and go through a separate cleaning process.
Step 2: dresser
This process sifts out smaller, lighter and bigger materials than the grain through a number of vibrating sieves.
Step 3: cylinder
The grains are separated by kernel length. Holes in the cylinder are sized to a certain spec. The kernels that fit into the holes are lifted up and dropped into a trough, while the longer kernels slide off out the end.
Step 4: gravity table
A way of separating small particles from the grain. Air is pushed up from below which sends the small particles upwards and pushed to the side.
Step 5: destoner
A vibrating sieve separates small stones from the grain.
Step 6: colour sorter
A colour specification is inputted into the machine. High tech cameras take pictures of the grain. Anything detected by the cameras which is off colour spec is blown to the side. The machine can process up to 5 tonnes an hour.
Step 7: storage
A colour specification is inputted into the machine. High tech cameras take pictures of the grain. Anything detected by the cameras which is off colour spec is blown to the side. The machine can process up to 5 tonnes an hour.