Step 1: Understanding the Question:
Dry milling is the mechanical process of breaking down corn into grits, meal, and flour without soaking it in large volumes of chemicals (unlike wet milling). The question asks for the operation that does not belong to this sequence.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
• De-germination (A): Essential step. The corn germ is rich in oil and must be removed to prevent the meal from going rancid.
• Sifting (B): Essential step. After grinding, the particles are separated by size using sieves (sifting) to get different products like flaking grits and fine flour.
• Removal of moisture (C): Essential step. In dry milling, corn is "tempered" (moisture added to toughen the hull), and then later dried back down to ensure shelf stability.
• Diluting (D): This is not a step in dry milling. Dilution involves adding a solvent or water to reduce concentration, which is characteristic of wet-chemical processes or liquid processing, not the mechanical dry crushing of grains.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Diluting is not part of the dry milling process for maize.