Inventory calculation for commercial production of cereal grain flour using particle size distribution model

Abstract

In India cerealgrain sector reflects increasing demand with increasingly affluent population.Wheat, jowar (sorghum), and corn (maize) are commonly consumed cereal grains in Indian subcontinent and hence produced abundantly. These cereals are consumed in the form of flour (Atta) obtained fromeither in domestic or commercial mills, which have increasingglobal market demand. The particle size distribution of cerealgrain flour decides the quality of final product. Thus study of particle size distribution of flour obtainedduring milling is one of the essential parameter for the large scale production. In the present research work grinding of wheat, jowar (sorghum) and corn(maize) using flour mills (Buhrstone mill) and their particle size distribution using suitable mathematical models (Gaudin-Schuhmann and Rosin–Rammler-Bennett) have been studied. Further the best fit model equation is utilized to determine the inventory required for the large scale production of cereal flour. Upon applying different models it was found that GS model fits well to cereal grain flour making which is evident from high coefficient of determination of 0.9221. The model can be used to compute inventory requirement for production of flour of desired size of required cereal grain. For example to produce 1 ton of 1362 µm size of wheat flour one needs 1.4 ton of raw material.