Clarification of Apple Juice Using Polymeric Ultrafiltration Membranes: a Comparative Evaluation of Membrane Fouling and Juice Quality

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of three different commercial polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) membranes during clarification of raw apple juice, comparatively. The influence of membrane pore size, roughness, and hydrophobicity on flux profile and fouling was investigated. The initial flux was simultaneously decreased at the beginning of the process, and quite steady flux was obtained in the membranes with rougher surface and more hydrophobic nature. As the pore size and hydrophobicity increased, the reversible fouling became the major resistance, while cake formation was more prominent for the membranes with narrower pore size. The overall quality results revealed that the main quality characteristics of the raw juice can be better retained by using the membranes that have higher resistance to fouling.