NOVELTY - Treatment of a starch-based feedstock, comprises: (a) mixing a starch-based feedstock and a working fluid to form a slurry; (b) hydrating the starch-based feedstock with the working fluid; (c) adding an enzyme to the slurry; (d) heating the slurry; (e) directing the slurry into a substantially constant diameter passage of a fluid mover; and (f) injecting a high velocity transport fluid into the slurry through one or more nozzles communicating with the passage, thus further hydrating and heating the starch-based feedstock and dispersing the starch content of the slurry.    USE - The process is useful for manufacturing alcohol, such as ethanol for biofuel production, and non-ethanol products such as sugars, sugar syrups or products including dextrose, maltose, glucose and glucose syrup (e.g. corn syrup, widely used in processed foods), other dextrins (e.g. fructose, maltodextrin, and high fructose syrup), sugar alcohols (e.g. maltitol, xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, mannitol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysate), and other commercially chemicals, which are used in foods and pharmaceuticals.    ADVANTAGE - The process provides an increase of up to 14% in starch to sugar yields, a reduction of up to 50% of the amount of liquefaction enzyme required, a reduction of up to 75% in the residence time for the conversion to take place, and a reduction of up to 30% in the time taken for the subsequent fermentation of the converted sugars into alcohol.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Treatment of a starch-based feedstock, comprises: (a) mixing together a starch-based feedstock and a working fluid to form a slurry; (b) hydrating the starch-based feedstock with the working fluid; (c) adding an enzyme to the slurry; (d) heating and maintaining the slurry in a vessel at a temperature of 55-85 degrees C for a predetermined period of time; (e) directing the slurry into a substantially constant diameter passage of a fluid mover; and (f) injecting a high velocity transport fluid into the slurry through one or more nozzles communicating with the passage, thus further hydrating and heating the starch-based feedstock and dispersing the starch content of the slurry, where at least a portion of the slurry is atomized to form a dispersed droplet flow regime downstream of the nozzles. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) an apparatus for treating a starch-based feedstock, comprising a hydrator/mixer for (i) mixing and hydrating the feedstock with a working fluid to form a slurry, and (ii) maintaining the slurry at 55-85 degrees C for a predetermined period of time, and a fluid mover (100) in fluid communication with the hydrator/mixer, where the fluid mover comprises (ia) a passage (22) of substantially constant diameter having an inlet (24) in fluid communication with the hydrator/mixer and an outlet (26), and (ib) a transport fluid nozzle (38) communicating with the passage and adapted to inject high velocity transport fluid into the passage;    (2) a system for producing ethanol comprising the apparatus integrated into an ethanol production plant;    (3) a process for calculating ethanol yield during the production of biofuels in a plant comprising: establishing a composition of dry matter and water making up a mass unit of mash, which is hydrolyzed prior to entering into a fermenter that is part of an ethanol production system within the plant, using a computer programmed to process inputs from the production system to calculate a mass of dry matter and a mass of wet matter making up the mass unit, calculating an amount of wet corn in the mass unit by adding the mass of dry matter and the mass of wet matter, using the computer to calculate an amount of ethanol produced from the mass unit based on stoichiometry and measurements of materials in the production system, and determining the ethanol yield by dividing the calculated amount of ethanol by the calculated amount of wet corn; and    (4) a process for improving ethanol yield during the production of biofuels in a plant, comprising calculating the ethanol yield by the above process, and adjusting one or more parameters to improve the yield.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a longitudinal section view through a fluid mover suitable for use in the biofuel processing apparatus.    Passage (22)    Inlet (24)    Outlet (26)    Transport fluid nozzle (38)    Fluid mover. (100)