A cereal grain at ambient pressure is pre-cut and then mechanically deformed by being passed between mill rollers spaced apart about 0.002 of an inch while the grain is at its maximum plasticity at a temperature of between about 143.degree. and 160.degree. C and preferably at 154.degree. C.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 555,379, filed Mar. 5, 1975 which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 389, 334, filed Aug. 17, 1973, both now abandoned.
A grain scratcher-moisturizer apparatus has an outlet connected by a screw conveyor to the infeed of a stream flaker assembly to provide substantial savings in the cost of treating feed grain. The scratcher-moisturizer has two driven parallel horizontal cylindrical rolls having closely spaced spiral grooves in their surfaces for receiving the base of a saw blade so that the teeth of the blade extend outwardly and are canted in the direction of rotation of the roll. Individual pivotal metal deflectors are mounted adjacent a respective cylindrical roll and grain is fed onto the driven rolls which hurl it against the deflector which deflect the grain back toward the roll. Each deflector is pivotally mounted for adjustment toward or away from its associated roll and is of zig-zag shape as viewed from its end so that it presents a series of approximately perpendicular flat areas equal the length of and facing its respective roll with each flat area being approximately perpendicular to a separate tangent from the roll so that the grain reverberates between the roll and deflector as it passes downwardly through the apparatus. A liquid spray pipe applies moisture to the scratched grain prior to entry of the grain into the screw conveyor.
