Effect of membrane property and operating conditions on phytochemical properties and permeate flux during clarification of pineapple juice

The effects of membrane property on the permeate flux, membrane fouling and quality of clarified pineapple juice were studied. Both microfiltration (membrane pore size of 0.1 and 0.2 μm) and ultrafiltration (membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 30 and 100 kDa) membranes were employed. Membrane filtration did not have significant effects on the pH, reducing sugar and acidity of clarified juice whereas the suspended solids and microorganism were completely removed. The 0.2 μm membrane gave the highest permeate flux, total vitamin C content, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity as well as the highest value of irreversible fouling. Based on these results, the membrane with pore size of 0.2 μm was considered to be the most suitable membrane for the clarification of pineapple juice. The optimum operating conditions for the clarification pineapple juice by membrane filtration was a cross-flow velocity of 3.4 ms⁻¹ and transmembrane pressure (TMP) of 0.7 bar. An average flux of about 37 lm⁻² h⁻¹ was obtained during the microfiltration of pineapple juice under the optimum conditions using batch concentration mode.     

Chicory juice clarification by membrane filtration using rotating disk module

Clarification is the first step of inulin production from chicory juice, and membrane filtration as an alternative can greatly simplify this process, increase juice yield, improve product quality, and reduce the cost and waste volume. In this study, a rotating disk module (RDM) was used to investigate the clarification of chicory juice by four micro- and ultrafiltration membranes. Compared with dead end filtration, the RDM had a much higher permeate flux and product quality. High rotating speeds produced high permeate fluxes and reduced flux decline, because of the strong back transport of foulant from fouling layer to feed solution. At high rotating speeds of 1500–2000 rpm, the permeate flux increased with membrane pore size and transmembrane pressure (TMP), while at low rotating speeds (<1000 rpm), permeate flux was independent of membrane type and TMP due to a thick deposited fouling layer as a dominant filtration resistance, while carbohydrate transmission decreased at higher TMP because of denser cake layer as an additional selective membrane. The highest carbohydrate transmission (∼98%) and desirable permeate turbidity (2.4 NTU) was obtained at a TMP of 75 kPa and a rotating speed of 2000 rpm for FSM0.45PP membrane. With the RDM, the Volume Reduction Ratio (VRR) could reach 10 with a high permeate flux (106 L m⁻² h⁻¹) in the concentration test, and permeate was still rich in carbohydrate and well clarified. Chemical cleaning with 0.5% P3-ultrasil 10 detergent solution was able to recover 90% water flux of fouled membrane.     

Separation of Sucrose and Reducing Sugar in Cane Molasses by Nanofiltration

Recovery of sugars from cane molasses is a promising approach to increase the added value of molasses and reduce its environmental pollution. In this work, for the first time, nanofiltration (NF) was used for the separation of sucrose and reducing sugar in cane molasses by a cascade diafiltration-concentration process. The retention difference between sucrose and reducing sugar by all the tested NF membranes was not distinct at 25 °C, while due to the thermal-induced pore size change and enhanced solute diffusivity, the NF retention behavior changed significantly at 60 °C, and the DL membrane with a sucrose retention of 96% and a reducing sugar retention 5% was selected for the process optimization and modeling. High temperature (55–60 °C), low permeate flux (below 15 Lm^?2 h^?1), and high sugar concentration resulted in a low retention of reducing sugar due to the dominant diffusive mass transfer, which was desirable for the molasses separation by NF. Mathematical modeling could well predict the diafiltration and concentration processes if using right sugar retention data. The deviations between prediction lines and experimental data in the cross-flow filtration of real solution were mainly caused by the permeate flux variation rather than membrane fouling. After diafiltration, the ratio of sucrose in total molasses sugar increased from 76.1 to 87.9%, while in the permeate of the second concentration step, the ratio of sucrose was only 2.4%. Thus, the retentate of diafiltration could be directly used for sucrose crystallization to avoid the accumulation of reducing sugar and salts, and the permeate of the second concentration step could be concentrated by NF270 at room temperature to produce syrup drinking.     

Physiochemical, antioxidant and whitening properties of extract from root cortices of mulberry as affected by membrane process

Extract from root cortices of mulberry (Morus alba, L.) was separated into permeate and retentate fractions using a membrane system equipped with either a microfiltration membrane or one of four molecular weight cut-off ultrafiltration membranes. The effects of membrane process at volume concentration ratio (VCR)=4 on the physiochemical characteristics, the contents of active compounds, antioxidant ability, and whitening capability (tyrosinase inhibitory activity) in permeate and retentate were evaluated. The clarification degree, antioxidant effects, and whitening capability of the permeates increased as compared to those of feed. In addition, permeate treated with a 0.45 μm microfiltration membrane exhibited less fouling layer and specific resistance (αpC_B=622.8 m⁻²×10⁻⁶) and thus had a higher permeate flux than treated with other ultrafiltration membranes (αpC_B=786.1-1025.3 m⁻²×10⁻⁶). A higher content of active compounds, such as chlorogenoic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid may explain higher antioxidant and whitening capabilities in permeate of extracts from root cortices of mulberry.     

Effect of Membrane Material on the Separation of Proteins and Polyphenol Oxidase in Ultrafiltration of Potato Fruit Juice

Ultrafiltration was applied to diluted potato fruit juice, a side-stream from potato starch production. The aim of the study was to selectively concentrate the potato proteins in the permeate, while isolating polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in the retentate. A profound difference was found in protein retention between two 300-kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) ultrafiltration membranes, of either regenerated cellulose (RC) or polyethersulfone (PES). The use of the 300-kDa MWCO RC membrane resulted in a twofold higher retentate protein content as well as total retention of all PPO activity, as compared with the PES membrane. Comparison tests with 100- and 300-kDa MWCO PES membranes indicated that concentration polarization and gel layer formation, and not MWCO definitions, were governing factors for protein retention, since proteins with a MW of 10 kDa were retained in all the experiments. PPO activity in potato fruit juice was measured in permeate and retentate to assess its selective retention by the applied ultrafiltration processes. Of the specific PPO activity, 94–100 % was retained by either 300 MWCO RC or 100 MWCO PES, while only 49 % specific activity was retained by the 300 MWCO PES. By in situ blotting experiments, the molecular weight of active PPO was found to be present at three different molecular weights, at positions of 40, 47, and 100 kDa, respectively, with the major activity present at 47 kDa.     

陶瓷膜和有机膜超滤处理荔枝汁和膜垢分析及荔枝汁品质研究

应用陶瓷膜和有机膜对荔枝汁进行澄清实验,并进行采用总循环模式(TRM)研究跨膜压力(TMP)和循环流量(Qf)对膜通量(Qp)的影响,确定其各自的最优水平;采用批处理模式(TBM)研究这两个参数最优水平的组合工艺。澄清工艺中：无机陶瓷膜效果优于有机聚醚砜膜,最佳工艺条件为陶瓷膜组件、TMP 0.3MPa、Qf 40L/min。研究在TBM下,膜垢的形成原因,对微分方程--＝k(J－Jlim)J2－n进行拟合,拟合R2为无机膜0.8812和0.8478;有机膜为0.9048,并分析膜垢的形成的模式：有机膜的膜垢主要是层垢(n＝0),无机膜的膜垢形成主要是层垢和部分并在膜垢的综合情况(n＝0,n＝1)。并研究TBM模式下,总糖、总果胶、总蛋白、抗氧化活性等影响果汁品质的物质的动态过程,结果表明：在P＜0.05,无机膜在品质的保持比如总糖、抗氧化活性、总酚的截留滤等方面强于有机膜,其余的品质无显著差异。     

Ultrafiltration for recovery of rice protein: Fouling analysis and technical assessment

This research focused on the rice protein recovery from rice starch production wastewater by ultrafiltration. The effect of operating pressure was performed at different feed pressure from 2 to 10 bar. The suitable condition was chosen based on permeate flux; retention of protein, carbohydrate, reducing sugar, total dissolved solids (TDS); and purity of protein. The operating pressure of 6 and 8 bar was selected to conduct the study of batch operation mode with recycling of retentate. The permeate flux was highest at 6 bar, while the recovery yield and purity of protein reached a peak at 8 bar.Hermia's models were applied to analyze the fouling mechanisms in ultrafiltration (UF) of rice protein. Cake layer formation and intermediate blocking were found to occur during the UF depending on the operating pressure. The model developed in fouling analysis was used to estimate the change in component content in rice protein refinery. As result, the excellent agreement between the experimental and the model-simulated values for the solute concentrations in feed at various times of the UF operation was observed. Results indicate that UF is a potential technique for recovering rice protein.     

Fouling Analysis and Performance of Tubular Ultrafiltration on Pretreated Olive Mill Waste Water

This study deals with the performance of a tubular ultrafiltration system on sieved and centrifuged olive mill waste water. A generalized statistical model was developed describing the impact and the relative importance of major experimental parameters (membrane pore size, transmembrane pressure, feed flow rate, and feed temperature) on permeate flux. According to this model, process pressure appeared to have the largest impact on permeate flux, followed by process temperature. As membrane treatment of such a difficult material largely depends on fouling, a systematic analysis of prevailing fouling mechanisms was also run. Despite sieving and centrifugation of the original waste, membrane fouling caused a flux decline of 60–65% within 15–20 min. Internal fouling, pore blocking, and cake layer formation were all responsible for membrane fouling during the first 40 min of operation. After that period, cake formation appeared to play a predominant role. Based on the proposed generalized model, the relative importance of process parameters can be evaluated and process performance can be improved by proper interventions. Independent of membrane size, fouling is a serious problem to be resolved. The qualitative performance of this process, including chemical oxygen demand distribution, polyphenol profile, and antioxidant capacity, is discussed in a separate paper.     

The effect of ultrasound waves on the efficiency of membrane clarification of pomegranate juice

Pomegranate juice has a turbid appearance, which poses difficulties in its concentration process. Membrane clarification can be used to clarify pomegranate juice; however, membrane fouling reduces the permeate flux, limiting its effectiveness. Ultrasound at 30 kHz was used to reduce membrane fouling. Results were compared with the data obtained for membrane clarification without ultrasonic treatment at the same temperature. Results showed that permeate flux increased with ultrasonic treatment. Evaluation of different membrane fouling characteristics showed that the total membrane resistance fell due to the reduction in irreversible fouling and cake resistance. However, ultrasound did not affect the thick caking produced in membrane processing at low feed‐flow rates. Evaluation of the physicochemical properties of pomegranate juice showed that ultrasound can decrease antioxidant activity due to the reduction in total anthocyanin content. Also, total soluble solid content and acidity of pomegranate juice changed with ultrasonic treatment.     

Process efficiency of casein separation from milk using polymeric spiral-wound microfiltration membranes

Microfiltration is largely used to separate casein micelles from milk serum proteins (SP) to produce a casein-enriched retentate for cheese making and a permeate enriched in native SP. Skim milk microfiltration is typically performed with ceramic membranes and little information is available about the efficiency of spiral-wound (SW) membranes. We determined the effect of SW membrane pore size (0.1 and 0.2 µm) on milk protein separation in total recirculation mode with a transmembrane pressure gradient to evaluate the separation efficiency of milk proteins and energy consumption after repeated concentration and diafiltration (DF). Results obtained in total recirculation mode demonstrated that pore size diameter had no effect on the permeate flux, but a drastic loss of casein was observed in permeate for the 0.2-µm SW membrane. Concentration-DF experiments (concentration factor of 3.0× with 2 sequential DF) were performed with the optimal 0.1-µm SW membrane. We compared these results to previous data we generated with the 0.1-µm graded permeability (GP) membrane. Whereas casein rejection was similar for both membranes, SP rejection was higher for the 0.1-µm SW membrane (rejection coefficient of 0.75 to 0.79 for the 0.1-µm SW membrane versus 0.46 to 0.49 for the GP membrane). The 0.1-µm SW membrane consumed less energy (0.015–0.024 kWh/kg of permeate collected) than the GP membrane (0.077–0.143 kWh/kg of permeate collected). A techno-economic evaluation led us to conclude that the 0.1-µm SW membranes may represent a better option to concentrate casein for cheese milk; however, the GP membrane has greater permeability and its longer lifetime (about 10 yr) potentially makes it an interesting option.     

Effect of skim milk treated with high hydrostatic pressure on permeate flux and fouling during ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration (UF) is largely used in the dairy industry to generate milk and whey protein concentrate for standardization of milk or production of dairy ingredients. Recently, it was demonstrated that high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) extended the shelf life of milk and improved rennet coagulation and cheese yield. Pressurization also modified casein micelle size distribution and promoted aggregation of whey proteins. These changes are likely to affect UF performance. Consequently, this study determined the effect of skim milk pressurization (300 and 600 MPa, 5 min) on UF performance in terms of permeate flux decline and fouling. The effect of HHP on milk proteins was first studied and UF was performed in total recycle mode at different transmembrane pressures to determine optimal UF operational parameters and to evaluate the effect of pressurization on critical and limiting fluxes. Ultrafiltration was also performed in concentration mode at a transmembrane pressure of 345 kPa for 130 or 140 min to evaluate the decline of permeate flux and to determine fouling resistances. It was observed that average casein micelle size decreased by 32 and 38%, whereas β-lactoglobulin denaturation reached 30 and 70% at 300 and 600 MPa, respectively. These results were directly related to UF performance because initial permeate fluxes in total recycle mode decreased by 25% at 300 and 600 MPa compared with nonpressurized milk, critical flux, and limiting flux, which were lower during UF of milk treated with HHP. During UF in concentration mode, initial permeate fluxes were 30% lower at 300 and 600 MPa compared with the control, but the total flux decline was higher for nonpressurized milk (62%) compared with pressure-treated milk (30%). Fouling resistances were similar, whatever the treatment, except at 600 MPa where irreversible fouling was higher. Characterization of the fouling layer showed that caseins and β-lactoglobulin were mainly involved in membrane fouling after UF of pressure-treated milk. Our results demonstrate that HHP treatment of skim milk drastically decreased UF performance.     

Soymilk concentration by ultrafiltration: effects of pore size and transmembrane pressure on filtration performance

The effects of membrane pore size and operating pressure on filtration flux, membrane fouling and solute rejections of soymilk during ultrafiltration were studied. Soymilk was concentrated from an initial level of 6.5% solid content to 20% solid content using ultrafiltration membranes. Hollow fibre cross‐flow type cartridges having molecular weight cut‐off (MWCO) as 1, 10 and 30 kDa were used in the experiments. Filtration data were satisfactorily fitted to De La Garza and Boulton's exponential model to find the exponential fouling coefficient (k) and the membrane resistance (R_m). The permeate fluxes obtained in 10 and 30‐kDa MWCO membranes were found to be approximately four times higher than that of 1‐kDa MWCO membrane, at transmembrane pressure between 100 and 240 kPa. The average flux obtained was 0.7, 3.15 and 2.7 L m^?2‐h for 1, 10 and 30‐kDa MWCO membranes, respectively. The R_m value of membranes was found to decrease as the MWCO of membranes increased and transmembrane pressure decreased. The total solid content of permeates obtained by these membranes was between 0.45% and 1.4%. Membrane‐concentrated soymilk was found to have lighter colour and almost half the value of viscosity compared with evaporated milk.     

Secondary wastewater polishing with ultrafiltration membranes for unrestricted reuse: fouling and flushing modeling

The effects of operating parameters such astransmembrane pressure, retentate, and recirculation volumetric flow rates on the productivity of an ultrafiltration membrane were studied using field data and development of a management model. Correlation equations for predicting the volumetric permeate flow rates were derived from general membrane blocking laws and experimental data. The experimental data were obtained from a pilot study carried out in the Arad wastewater treatment system (a pilot plant operating in feed and bleed operation mode) located several kilometers west of the City of Arad, Israel. Correlation predictions were confirmed with the independent experimental results. The results enabled us to develop a mathematical expression accurately describing the decline in flux due to fouling.     

Preparation of milk protein concentrates by ultrafiltration and continuous diafiltration: Effect of process design on overall efficiency

High-milk-protein concentrates (>80% on a dry weight basis) are typically produced by ultrafiltration (UF) with constant-volume diafiltration (DF). To maximize protein retention at a commercial scale, polymeric spiral-wound UF membranes with a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 10 kDa are commonly used. Flux decline and membrane fouling during UF have been studied extensively and the selection of an optimal UF-DF sequence is expected to have a considerable effect on both the process efficiency and the volumes of by-products generated. The objective of this study was to characterize the performance of the UF-DF process by evaluating permeate flux decline, fouling resistance, energy and water consumption, and retentate composition as a function of MWCO (10 and 50 kDa) and UF-DF sequence [3.5×–2 diavolumes (DV) and 5×–0.8DV]. The UF-DF experiments were performed on pasteurized skim milk using a pilot-scale filtration system operated at 50°C under a constant transmembrane pressure of 465 kPa. The results showed that MWCO had no effect on permeate flux for the same UF-DF sequence. Irreversible resistance was also similar for both sequences, whatever the MWCO, suggesting that soluble protein deposition within the pores is similar for all conditions. Despite lower permeate fluxes and greater reversible resistance for the 5×–0.8DV sequence, the overall energy consumption of the 2 UF-DF sequences was similar. However, the 3.5×–2DV sequence required more water for DF and generated larger volumes of permeate to be processed, which will require more membrane area and lead to greater environmental impact. A comparative life cycle assessment should however be performed to confirm which sequence has the lowest environmental impact.     

Effects of pretreatment and various operating parameters on permeate flux and quality during ultrafiltration of apple juice

The central composite design with a quadratic model was used to investigate the effect of temperature (20–40 °C) and transmembrane pressure (TMP) (100–300 kPa) as well as pretreatment with gelatin and bentonite (0:0–300:1500 mg L^?1) on permeate flux and fouling resistance during ultrafiltration of apple juice. The changes in some physicochemical properties were also investigated. Pretreatment of apple juice with gelatin and bentonite and an increase in the temperature and TMP significantly improved the permeate flux. In general, physicochemical properties of apple juice other than polyphenolics were not affected by the applied parameters. Using 150 mg L^?1 of gelatin and 750 mg L^?1 of bentonite for fining significantly reduced the total phenolic content and so did the fouling resistance. Fouling resistance also decreased with increasing temperature, and increasing pressure increased the fouling resistance.     

Clarification and concentration of melon juice using membrane processes

Melon juice obtained from fruits discarded by exporters was first clarified by crossflow microfiltration and then concentrated by osmotic evaporation (OE). The resulting clarified melon juice was highly similar to the initial juice, except for insoluble solids and carotenoids, which were concentrated in the retentate. Average permeation flux was relatively high (about 80 L h⁻¹ m⁻²), with continuous extraction of retentate at a volumetric reduction ratio of 3. After concentration of the clarified melon juice to as much as 550 g kg⁻¹ of total soluble solids using a continuous feed-and-bleed procedure of OE, we found that almost the entire composition of the product was preserved. This integrated membrane process permitted two valuable products to be obtained: a clarified concentrate of melon juice that had not undergone any thermal treatment, and a glowing-orange retentate that was enriched in provitamin A.Industrial relevanceThe increasing quality demand for fresh fruits results in an increase in rejected melons. Juice processing could overcome the product losses occurring but thermal sensitivity of melon juice flavour prohibits conventional thermal processing. Interestingly this paper attempts to use membrane processes for microbial stabilisation and concentration. The authors present a novel way of using permeate (clear juice) as well as retentate (pulpy juice). Enzyme activities in the products during and after processing may need some attention prior to industrial application of the process.     

Influence of gas sparging on clarification of pineapple wine by microfiltration

A microfiltration process with a tubular ceramic membrane was applied for clarification of pineapple wine. The process was operated with the membrane pore size of 0.2 μm at transmembrane pressure of 2 bar and crossflow velocity of 2.0 m/s. The effects of gas sparging on permeate flux, fouling and quality of clarified wine were studied. It was found that a relatively low gas sparging rate could increase permeate flux up to 138%. Further increase of the gas sparging rate did not improve permeate flux compared with that without gas sparging. Gas sparging affected the density of cake layer. Increasing gas sparging rate led to an increase in specific cake resistance. It was observed that increasing gas sparging rate could reduce reversible fouling rather than irreversible fouling. The turbidity of pineapple wine was reduced and a clear product with bright yellow color was obtained after microfiltration. The negative effect of gas sparging which caused a loss of alcohol content in the wine was also observed.     

Determination of the efficiency of removal of whey protein from sweet whey with ceramic microfiltration membranes

Our research objective was to measure percent removal of whey protein from separated sweet whey using 0.1-µm uniform transmembrane pressure ceramic microfiltration (MF) membranes in a sequential batch 3-stage, 3× process at 50°C. Cheddar cheese whey was centrifugally separated to remove fat at 72°C and pasteurized (72°C for 15 s), cooled to 4°C, and held overnight. Separated whey (375 kg) was heated to 50°C with a plate heat exchanger and microfiltered using a pilot-scale ceramic 0.1-µm uniform transmembrane pressure MF system in bleed-and-feed mode at 50°C in a sequential batch 3-stage (2 diafiltration stages) process to produce a 3× MF retentate and MF permeate. Feed, retentate, and permeate samples were analyzed for total nitrogen, noncasein nitrogen, and nonprotein nitrogen using the Kjeldahl method. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE analysis was also performed on the whey feeds, retentates, and permeates from each stage. A flux of 54 kg/m² per hour was achieved with 0.1-µm ceramic uniform transmembrane pressure microfiltration membranes at 50°C. About 85% of the total nitrogen in the whey feed passed though the membrane into the permeate. No passage of lactoferrin from the sweet whey feed of the MF into the MF permeate was detected. There was some passage of IgG, bovine serum albumen, glycomacropeptide, and casein proteolysis products into the permeate. β-Lactoglobulin was in higher concentration in the retentate than the permeate, indicating that it was partially blocked from passage through the ceramic MF membrane.     

High concentration of skim milk proteins by ultrafiltration: Characterisation of a dynamic membrane system with a rotating membrane in comparison with a spiral wound membrane

The purpose of this work was to characterise the ultrafiltration of skim milk with a dynamic system with a rotating membrane regarding flux in milk protein concentration. The flux of the dynamic system showed a maximum at medium rotational speeds, probably due to the permeate backpressure or a shift in the deposited particle size range to smaller particles above a critical rotational speed. The flux increased almost linearly up to a transmembrane pressure (TMP) of 100 kPa. At higher TMP, the curves levelled off, especially at higher protein concentrations. The dynamic system was less limited by the increasing retentate viscosity and reached significantly higher volume reduction ratios (VRR) as compared with a spiral wound module (SWM). SWM are suitable to achieve VRR <5–6 before a dynamic system, possibly in combination with tubular ceramic membranes, could be used to achieve higher VRR >8.     

Influence of operating conditions on membrane fouling in crossflow microfiltration of particulate suspensions

The effects of the operating conditions on the crossflow microfiltration (CFMF) of particulate suspensions were investigated. Lactalbumin particles were used as the feed material. Experiments were carried out in constant transmembrane pressure (TMP) mode using tubular ceramic membrane modules. All important parameters (internal and surface fouling, cake mass, height, porosity, and particle size distribution (PSD)) were estimated to provide a more complete understanding of the process than has been attempted before. Lactalbumin particles which are highly irregular in shape and widely size distributed formed an adhesive cake on the membrane surface during CFMF. The porosity and particle size of the deposited cake decreased with time of filtration. The value 100 kPa was found to be optimum with respect to the permeate flux in the studied range of TMP. Particle size classification effects of TMP and crossflow velocity (CFV) were demonstrated. The results of this study provided a possible explanation to the contradictory reports on the effect of CFV on the steady-state flux and the time required to obtain it. Significantly, the internal fouling first decreased with increasing CFV and then increased above 1.5 m s⁻¹. This is attributed to the particles size classification effect of CFV. A process was developed based on the observed effects of the operating parameters on the CFMF performance that enables operation at very low internal fouling and high flux for as long as 160 min. The developed process has the potential to become commercial if coupled with backflushing.