A seminar for technologists was held within the framework of the ProStarch 2025: Deep Grain Processing Market Trends conference.

On April 8, 2025, the ProStarch 2025: Deep Grain Processing Market Trends conference was held in Moscow, organized by the Association of value-added grain processing companies. The event gathered more than 140 participants from 70 companies from Russia, China, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries.

In parallel with the main session, a practical seminar “Improving the Efficiency of Deep Processing Enterprises of Plant Raw Materials” was held at the event, attended by technologists, production line managers, laboratory staff, and other representatives of interested companies.

Mishchenkov Maxim Viktorovich spoke about operational efficiency for deep grain processing enterprises and the application of continuous improvement and lean manufacturing system tools, as well as the main types of losses. Mishchenkov Maxim Viktorovich, Director of SMART Systems and Technologies LLC. The main topics of his report were: Lean Production as a tool for continuous improvement; Tools for minimizing production losses; Continuous process improvement; TPM strategy aimed at increasing the reliability of production processes and equipment; Equipment condition monitoring, equipment diagnostics, optimization of maintenance costs; Production systems and digitalization in production management processes. “Up to 95% of all operations are losses. Eliminating losses increases the share of valuable actions, consequently increasing productivity and process efficiency,” Maxim explained. Therefore, lean production is necessary, which systematically reduces processes and operations that do not add value.

Orlova Valeria Vladimirovna, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor at KubSTU, General Director of Grain Ingredient LLC, raised the topic of modern approaches to increasing protein and starch yields, taking into account the characteristics and possible defects of grain. Preparing grain for processing using enzyme grain improvers allows for careful removal of hulls and pulp during processing without losing valuable components that, with standard methods, end up in bran or waste. This method addresses the cause of losses in production, instead of traditional attempts to recover what was lost at subsequent stages. This reduces production time and energy costs. Technologists from Grain Ingredient LLC conducted a comparative demonstration on corn and wheat, which showed the high efficiency of grain improvers —

the yield of starch in intermediate milling products increases by 2% from corn and by 0.5% from wheat. The audience of the report was also able to personally test the innovative technology.

Kuzina Lidia Borisovna, Head of the Laboratory for Starch Modification Technology at the All-Russian Research Institute of Starch and Starch-Containing Raw Materials Processing – a branch of the A.G. Lorkh Federal Research Center for Potato, spoke about promising technologies for modified starches. The existing capacities of enterprises for the production of native and modified starches still cannot meet the demands of all food and technical industries in the Russian Federation. The necessary modifications E 1442, E 1452 are not produced, technologies have not been developed, and there are no technological lines. The expenses for food industry enterprises seeking assistance range from 20 to 40 tons per month for modifications E 1412/E1414/E1422/E1442. Pulp and paper and paint and varnish enterprises note a shortage of cationic and oxidized modified starches (E 1404). Promising products are hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (E 1442) and starch ether with aluminum or sodium salts of octenyl succinic acid – E 1450 and E 1452. Lidia also noted the importance of patenting developments, concluding licenses with partners and contractors, and certifying methods.

Watch the video about how the seminar for technologists went at the link.

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