A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1986

In this study, the quality aspects of fried corn chips prepared from wet and dry grinding processes were compared. The effects of corn boiling and grinding times were evaluated to determine optimum conditions. In the wet process, the fried chips prepared from 10 h of soaking, 30 minutes of boiling and 3 passes of grinding resulted in the best quality. Corn chips prepared from the dry process gave better quality than those prepared from the wet grinding process, especially when the flour was produced from a single pass of grinding. A continuous extrusion type chip-forming machine was successfully designed, fabricated and tested for its performance. It was found that die thickness and screw speed influenced the puffiness of chips. In general, the chips formed by screw extruder were found to be more satisfactory in eating quality. A comparison of the approximate operating costs of the dry and wet processes revealed the dry grinding process to be more costly due to the drying of corn after boiling. However, the dry process offered the flexibility with regard to prolonged storage of gelatinized flour, and quick and easy preparation of the chips .