F Satake’s VTA
The versatile Satake VTA
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by Peter Matthew, Director of Cereal Operations, Satake USA, Inc.
he Vertical, Top Feed, Abrasive Rolls (also known as the VTA) was first designed and manufactured in 1993 by the Satake Corporation in Hiroshima, Japan. Originally manufactured for the rice milling industry, the was supplied as part of the world renowned Satake rice milling systems; These systems incorporate the VTA (abrasive milling), VBF (friction milling), and the KB (polishing) machines which, very quickly, became the standard for rice milling across the world, with approximately 5000 VTA units currently in operation. Satake’s rice milling systems are still the preferred choice for rice milling to this day. Using the same machine body, structure, and main drive motor, numerous cereal grains and pulses can be processed through the VTA unit. By simply changing the standard abrasive rolls and/ or screens, the required dehulling/debranning/ splitting actions can be achieved. Cereal grains and pulses currently being processed utilising the Satake VTA include rice, wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, peas, lentils, soybeans, and chickpeas. How can this one machine process such a wide variety of grains and pulses? Let’s take a closer look at the VTA operational benefits on these products: Rice: As mentioned previously, the VTA unit has been utilised for many years, and remains to
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be, an integral processing machine in the Satake rice milling systems. Using abrasive stones, in combination with specially designed screens, the rice bran is uniformly removed from the grain, with minimal breakage to the rice grain Wheat: In 1996 Satake introduced the VTA to the wheat milling industry as part of the Peritec Wheat Debranning Process. With simple changes to the abrasive stones and screens, efficient bran removal from the wheat kernel is achieved. In this application, the VTA is typically utilised after the 1BK scale in the production process, but prior to the to the 1BK roller mill. This application is suitable for both new mill installations and existing mill ‘upgrades’ with several key changes to the existing mill process flow. Typical benefits gained from debranning wheat prior to the milling process are: • The reduction of harmful elements such as pesticides and vomitoxins • Less bran specks in the finished flour, resulting in a ‘whiter flour’ • Mineral-rich flour (aleurone inclusion) • The use of a lower “falling number” in wheat • Baking quality – Volume, taste, colour, and consistency