Process for recovery of protein from agricultural commodities prior to alcohol production

Abstract

A process is provided for recovering food grade protein from agricultural commodities such as corn, for example, prior to alcohol production. The process involves extracting the protein with an alkali or alkali/alcohol solution either with or without sonication. The protein is recovered from the extract by ultrafiltration and the dissolved sugars and starches in the permeate are concentrated by reverse osmosis for addition to the nonprotein constituents for alcohol production.