Abstract: An improved method for processing corn into ethanol and other valuable co-products. The invention generally involves a multi-step process which produces germ (or oil), protein, and feed yeast as its co-products while maintaining or enhancing the provision of fermentable sugar to ethanol fermentation. This is accomplished by fundamentally altering the way the corn is fractionated, disrupting the cell walls rather than the protein matrix as is done in conventional wet milling.

Abstract: A method for debranning grain, such as corn, involves treating the grain with hot water, followed by (1) treating the grain with an aqueous solution of a strong base and (2) detaching pericarp from the grain. Ethanol may be produced by hydrolyzing debranned grain produced by this method to sugars, and fermenting the sugars to ethanol. Alternatively, chemically or enzymatically modifying grain involves treating the grain with water to create a permeability barrier in the endosperm of the grain, and chemically or enzymatically modifying the portion of the grain outside the permeability barrier.