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For PV Sons, the Prime Masa plant means a reduction of energy consumption and waste
Bühler has handed over its first Prime Masa plant in India, the second Prime Masa plant worldwide, to PV Sons Corn Milling. The innovative plant will consume 84% less water, 52% less energy compared to a traditional nixtamalization process, and will produce 96% less waste, among other benefits.
The Prime Masa plant is a solution for corn flour, which is used to make tortillas and nachos. Tortillas and tortilla chips have long been appreciated and consumed in Latin and North America but are gaining popularity in other regions, including India.
India is one of the top 10 maize producers in the world contributing 2-3% of the total maize produced globally. And the country is one of the top five maize exporters in the world. This did not go unnoticed by PV Sons Corn Milling, a family-owned business established in 2006 and one of the market leaders in the corn processing sector, who approached Bühler for the novel Prime Masa Nixtamal process.
After successful trials in Bühler’s Grain Innovation Center in Uzwil, PV Sons chose to integrate the line in their plant. The 4-ton per hour Nixtamal line was commissioned entirely in July 2021.
Corn tortillas and tortilla chips are made from specially treated nixtamal corn flour. The Prime Masa Nixtamal process uses only 150 liters of water, instead of 1,500 liters of water to process 1,000 kilograms of corn into nixtamalized corn flour. The steaming process is shorter than the traditional cooking process, which in turn leads to energy savings. The greatest advantage of Bühler’s nixtamal process is that wastewater is eliminated, and the flour has a higher nutritional value.