What's new
What's new

Automating process of removing corn husk

arsi315

Plastic
Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Hello Everyone,

I am trying to make an automated machinery which can remove the corn husk as shown in the video below (Skip to 8:14)


He is doing it manually however is it possible to automate this process?

Any suggestions and comments are really appreciated.
Thank you very much.

Kind Regards
 
Already been done.

T.V. show had a "Sweet corn Days" celebration, they had a restored
machine there on the grounds doing it.
 
Already been done.

T.V. show had a "Sweet corn Days" celebration, they had a restored
machine there on the grounds doing it.

Thank you for the reply, can you kindly elaborate? where can i see that? is there any video online i can check?
 
Watch a video on how corn heads work. Same principle. Counter rotating drums crush off the base and push the ear out the husk
 
Oh I see, you want to remove the bee's wings. You need a gravity shaking table. Feed them across an inclined sieve that is shaking with air blown up from the bottom. It's been a decade since I worked in a seed cleaning plant and I don't remember the names but the friction will remove in and the air will blow them off. By adjusting the tilt and air you can also sort the corn by density and size.
 
He isn't trying to dehusk in an American since. He is trying to remove the red fluff, locally known as bee's wings. It's really part of the cob.
 
I think there is some confusion over the vocabulary being used.

In the US, the husk is the leafy material that the corn ear develops in.

The beeswings are part of the cob, not the kernel.

I think the OP is asking about removing the pericarp which is the outer hard membrane that encapsulates each kernel.

In the video, they are using a lye solution to soften the pericarp and cause the endosperm to swell and burst the pericarp.

What is being asked is the first step in making Hominy.

Here are the directions and recipe supplied by the USDA:
This recipe is without lye since there was concern over the safety of handling the lye and difficulty in sourcing food grade lye.

Hominy without Lye

Preparing Hominy — Prepare hominy in a well ventilated room. Use 2 Tablespoons of baking soda to 2 quarts of water for 1 quart of dry field corn; you can double the recipe if your stainless steel pot is large enough. Add the baking soda to the water; bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the baking soda. Then add the dry field corn, stirring continuously to prevent sticking. Boil vigorously for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then allow to stand for 20 minutes. Rinse off the baking soda solution with several changes of hot water. Follow with cold water rinses to cool for handling. It is very important to rinse the corn thoroughly.

Work hominy with hands under running water until the dark tips of kernels are loosened from the rest of the kernel. (When working the hulls to remove the dark tips, do so under running water in a colander so the shelled kernels have little contact with the remaining unshelled corn with hulls that still have baking soda solution on them.) Separate the tips from the corn by placing the corn in a coarse sieve and rinsing thoroughly.

Hot Pack—Add sufficient water to cover the hominy by about 1 inch. Boil 5 minutes and change the water. Repeat this process with clean water each time for 4 more times. In fresh water again, cook the rinsed kernels until the kernels are soft (30 to 45 minutes) and drain. Meanwhile, prepare fresh boiling water to be used when filling jars for canning. Fill the hot hominy into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Do not shake or press down! Add ½ teaspoon canning salt to pints or 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Fill jars to 1 inch from top with fresh boiling water. Remove air bubbles. Re-adjust headspace if necessary. Wipe jar rims with dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process.
 
I think there is some confusion over the vocabulary being used.

In the US, the husk is the leafy material that the corn ear develops in.

The beeswings are part of the cob, not the kernel.

I think the OP is asking about removing the pericarp which is the outer hard membrane that encapsulates each kernel.

In the video, they are using a lye solution to soften the pericarp and cause the endosperm to swell and burst the pericarp.

What is being asked is the first step in making Hominy.

Here are the directions and recipe supplied by the USDA:
This recipe is without lye since there was concern over the safety of handling the lye and difficulty in sourcing food grade lye.

Hominy without Lye

Preparing Hominy — Prepare hominy in a well ventilated room. Use 2 Tablespoons of baking soda to 2 quarts of water for 1 quart of dry field corn; you can double the recipe if your stainless steel pot is large enough. Add the baking soda to the water; bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the baking soda. Then add the dry field corn, stirring continuously to prevent sticking. Boil vigorously for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then allow to stand for 20 minutes. Rinse off the baking soda solution with several changes of hot water. Follow with cold water rinses to cool for handling. It is very important to rinse the corn thoroughly.

Work hominy with hands under running water until the dark tips of kernels are loosened from the rest of the kernel. (When working the hulls to remove the dark tips, do so under running water in a colander so the shelled kernels have little contact with the remaining unshelled corn with hulls that still have baking soda solution on them.) Separate the tips from the corn by placing the corn in a coarse sieve and rinsing thoroughly.

Hot Pack—Add sufficient water to cover the hominy by about 1 inch. Boil 5 minutes and change the water. Repeat this process with clean water each time for 4 more times. In fresh water again, cook the rinsed kernels until the kernels are soft (30 to 45 minutes) and drain. Meanwhile, prepare fresh boiling water to be used when filling jars for canning. Fill the hot hominy into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Do not shake or press down! Add ½ teaspoon canning salt to pints or 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Fill jars to 1 inch from top with fresh boiling water. Remove air bubbles. Re-adjust headspace if necessary. Wipe jar rims with dampened clean paper towel. Adjust lids and process.

Thank you very much for all the replies. I apologize for my english. Yes that is what I meant. However the process you have told involves Baking soda. and all the videos I have watched until now, the are always using an alkaline solution known as Cal, pickling lime, slaked lime, hydrated lime etc. Its just like the one he showed in the video i want to make that process completely automated. Using corn to make himoney by doing nixtimalization.
 
Lye used to be the preferred alkaline here however this is a USDA recipe and so had to be food safe and safe to handle.

Lye can be used with precautions.

The recipe is for very small batches. To automate this you will need to experiment. The soaking portion of the process could be done continiously with very slow rotating screw conveyors.

To separate the pericarp from the inner kernel, multiple screens of various sizes will be needed with a rubbing action. The exact type and grade of corn that you have will affect the process.

Food processors here in the US are very specific about the particular corn that is used for these exact reasons. This makes the development of your process corn supply dependent.
 
Thank you for the reply, can you kindly elaborate? where can i see that? is there any video online i can check?

I can't recall all the details sir.

but I'm sure in qty (5) minutes of google searching for "Sweet corn de-husking"
You too can be an expert at it.
 








 
Back
Top