AIR CLASSIFICATION OF DEFATTED, GLANDED COTTONSEED FLOURS TO PRODUCE EDIBLE PROTEIN PRODUCT

Abstract

ABSTRACT A modified air‐classification technique for producing a low‐gossypol, edible cottonseed product from defatted glanded cottonseed flour was investigated. Several milling methods, including fixed hammer disintegating, pin milling, and air‐gun pulverizing, were used to prepare flour from defatted flakes. The milled flours were evaluated for particle size distribution prior to air classification. The yields and the proximate composition of the final fractions indicated that both are affected by the method of milling. With a fixed‐hammer disintegrator, a low gossypol edible product was produced. The other milling methods ruptured excessive amounts of pigment glands or did not sufficiently comminute the defatted material. The edible fraction yield can be increased if heat is used to lower the free gossypol content of the final product. Heat converted free gossypol into bound gossypol, therefore total gossypol was unchanged.