Grating mill

We used this grating mill, built in 1950, to crush pome and stone fruit: apples, pears, apricots,...

First knives were used to cut up the fruit.

Then the fruit was crushed by two millstones.

There was an option to set the millstones individually to ensure that the fruit stones were not damaged. That was very important as otherwise unpleasant bitter substances and hydrocyanic acid would have been released.

A grating mill is a crushing device for pome fruit and vegetables.The material to be ground is fed through a hopper from above and transported by a screw conveyor to the inner workings of the mill. The material to be ground is cut up by the knives. In the process, the fruit is kept in motion by a multi-blade rotor in the cylindrical part of the mill. The knives are located in the lower part of the cylinder meaning that the material can leave the milling chamber independently from below. At the circumference, there are openings between the knives where the crushed material is transported out of the unit.[1] Stones, peels, etc. are only separated in the following step of the process.
Applications: apples, pears (not suitable for berries or stone fruit), onions, garlic or other types of vegetables.[2]