Flaking Processing

Flaking refers to the process of passing seeds through rotary rollers, which increases the surface area of the seeds. In oilseeds, this also improves access to the oil or lipid content of the seeds. Flaking is performed using two main methods:

Dry Flaking

In this method, dry heat plays a role in flaking the product. Flaking soybeans using this method provides sufficient pressure by steel rollers (roller mill), which causes the plant cells to rupture. This allows oil solvents to penetrate the soybean more effectively. Therefore, this method is used in the process of extrusion or oil extraction from soybeans.

Steam Flaking

In this method, both heat and water (hydro-thermal treatment) are used simultaneously. By injecting steam at a specific pressure, soybeans or any other seeds are cooked. Some anti-nutritional factors in various seeds, especially soybeans, are eliminated at this stage. After the steaming phase, the seeds enter special rollers, and the flaking process occurs. The soybean product produced by this method is called full-fat flake.