Wet-milling is a process in which feed materialissteeped in water, with or without sulfur dioxide, to soften the seed kernel in order to help separate the kernel’s various components. For example, wet-milling plants can separate a 56-pound bushel of corn into more than 31 pounds of cornstarch (which in turn can be converted into corn syrupsorcorn ethanol), 15 pounds of corn gluten meal for use in animal feed, and nearly 2 pounds of corn oil.
This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach. Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition (PDF). Congressional Research Service.