New ways for the fractionation of dairy and minor constituents using UTP-membrane technology

摘要

Separation tasks in membrane technology are frequently compromised by a deposited layer on the membrane surfaces. Attempts to remove the deposit normally fail due to unequal transmembrane pressure difference along the membrane. It is shown in this study that a microfiltration process in the UTP mode (Uniform Transmembrane Pressure), in combination with an ultrafiltration based diafiltration (UF/DF) process, is able to fractionate caseins and whey proteins in skim milk almost completely. The processing variables in UTP-MF are investigated with regard to their effects on the permation rate and the mass flow of whey proteins through the MF membrane (cutoff 0.1 #mu#). It is concluded that a UTP-MF process in combination with UF/DF offers a new way to obtain highly enriched, almost pure native milk protein fractions. As a further possibility minor components from the caseins or the whey proteins can be fractionated with higher levels of efficiency as compared to standard procedures.