Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and other one labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A) : T.D method of corn milling results in flour of better shelf-life.
Reason (R) : The major objective of T. D method of corn milling is to remove essentially all germ and hull.
In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false but (R) is true.

Hint:

Remember that in grain processing, "germ removal" is always performed to eliminate lipids (fats/oils). This is the standard industrial approach to prevent rancidity and extend the shelf-life of cereal products.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This problem focuses on the Tempering-Degerming (T.D.) method of corn dry milling, which is a key industrial process designed to separate the different anatomical parts of the corn kernel to produce high-quality corn flour, grits, and meals with stable storage characteristics.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the assertion and reason statements:

Assertion (A): Corn flour produced by traditional stone grinding or whole-kernel milling has a very short shelf-life because it contains the corn germ.
Flour produced by the T.D. method, however, has an improved shelf-life and can be stored for months without going rancid.
Therefore, Assertion (A) istrue.

Reason (R): In the Tempering-Degerming (T.D.) process, corn is first tempered by adding a controlled amount of water to raise its moisture content.
This tempering makes the outer hull tough and elastic, while softening the oil-rich germ, allowing both to be easily separated from the hard endosperm during the subsequent degerming step.
The major objective is to remove virtually all of the germ (which contains up to 85% of the corn's total fat/oil) and the fibrous hull.
Therefore, Reason (R) istrue.

Relationship: Because the oil-rich germ is removed during degerming, the final corn flour contains very little fat.
Since lipid oxidation is the primary cause of rancidity in stored flours, removing the germ directly improves the shelf-life of the flour.
Therefore, the reason directly explains why the assertion is true.
Thus, both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (A).