Recovery of bioactive compounds in kiwifruit juice by ultrafiltration

Food quality is not only a function of nutritional values but also of the presence of bioactive compounds exerting a positive effects on human health.This research was undertaken to study the influence of the ultrafiltration (UF) on the composition of some bioactive compounds of the kiwifruit juice in order to develop a natural product which can be used to fortify foods and beverages. At the same time the effect of transmembrane pressure (TMP) and temperature on the permeate flux was also investigated in order to identify the optimal operating conditions for the processing of the juice. An optimal TMP value occurred at 0.6–0.65 bar in different conditions of cross flow velocities. Steady-state permeate fluxes increased linearly with temperature in the range 20–30 °C.The kiwifruit juice was clarified in optimal operating conditions, according to the batch concentration mode, up to a final volume reduction factor (VRF) of 2.76.The analyses of flux decay according to fouling models reported in the literature revealed that the formation of a cake layer covering the entire surface of the membrane is the main cause of the membrane fouling.Most bioactive compounds of the depectinised kiwifruit juice were recovered in the clarified fraction of the UF process. The rejection of the UF membrane towards total phenolics was 13.5%. The recovery of glutamic, folic, ascorbic and citric acids, in the clarified juice, with respect to the initial feed, was dependent on the final VRF of the UF process: an increase of the VRF determines an increase of these compounds in the clarified juice. The rejections of the UF membrane towards these compounds were in the range 0–4.3%.

Industrial relevance

Among different substances contained in the kiwifruit a primary role, in the safeguard of the human health, is carried out by some bioactive compounds such as ascorbic, folic, citric, glutamic acids and polyphenols.This research was undertaken to study the influence of ultrafiltration on the composition of these compounds in order to develop a natural product which can be used to fortify foods and beverages.