Performance study for membrane fractionation of second cheese whey from sheep

Second ovine cheese whey (SCW) is a by-product resulting from the production of sheep whey cheeses, by thermal aggregation of whey proteins. Its nutritional value is high because it contains about half of the soluble protein that is present in the original whey, free amino acids, small peptides, lactose, oligosaccharides, vitamins and minerals. However, despite high volumes generated (about 18 L of SCW by kg-1 of whey cheese produced), SCW is not recovered, causing problems in water treatment plants due to its high biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), about 10,200 mg O2 L-1 and 69,500 mg O2 L-1, respectively. In order to valorize this by-product, the performance of a sequence of membrane processes, namely wide ultrafiltration (UF1), tight ultrafiltration (UF2) and nanofiltration (NF) was evaluated. In our previous work, we selected a wide ultrafiltration membrane of cellulose regenerated acetate, RC70PP with a nominal cut-off (MWCO) of 10 kDa) and hydrophilic characteristics, for recovering protein fraction. In this work, the membrane was used to concentrate SCW till a volume concentration factor (VCF) of 3.0. The permeates were then subjected to a second UF with a tight UF membrane (MWCO of 1 kDa), ETNA01PP, till a VCF of about 2.5. ETNA01PP is a surface-modified poli(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, with hydrophilic characteristics. Nanofiltration of permeates of the second UF was performed using a membrane made of polypiperazine amide, NF99, till a VCF of 2.5. In all experiments, the membrane area used was 0.072 m2. Both ultrafiltration processes were carried out at a transmembrane pressure of 2.0 bar, whereas nanofiltration was realized at a transmembrane pressure of 20.0 bar. The feed flow rate was kept at 0.92 m s-1, in all experiments. Results showed that during UF1 and UF2, permeate fluxes decreased about 22%, while in NF experiments a sharp decrease occurred (about 50%), till the VCF studied (Fig.1), perhaps due to scaling on the membrane. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Valorization of goat cheese whey through an integrated process of ultrafiltration and nanofiltration

Goat cheese whey is a co-product that comes from goat cheese manufacture. Due to its high organic load, adequate treatment is necessary before its disposal. Additionally, the recent growing interest in caprine products, attributed to their specific nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics, such as the lower allergenicity of their proteins and higher content of oligosaccharides, compared with bovine products, made the recovery of goat cheese whey a challenge. In this study, an integrated process for the recovery of sweet goat whey components was carried out. It includes filtration, centrifugation and pasteurization, followed by sequential membrane processes, ultrafiltration/dilution, nanofiltration of ultrafiltration permeates in dilution mode and the concentration/dilution of nanofiltration retentates. Ultrafiltration was performed with membranes of 10 and 1 kDa. Membranes of 10 kDa have higher permeate fluxes and, in a single stage of dilution, allowed for better protein retention and higher lactose purity, with a separation factor of 14. The concentration of lactose by nanofiltration/dilution led to the retention of almost all the lactose in retentates and to a final permeate, whose application in cheese dairy plants will allow for the total recovery of whey. The application of this integrated process in small- or medium-sized goat cheese dairies can represent an important contribution to their sustainabilityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fraccionamento de lactossoro de ovelha por tecnologias de membranas e estudo das possiveis utilizações dos concentrados obtidos

Doutoramento em Engenharia Agro-Industrial - Instituto Superior de AgronomiaIn this thesis we studied the efficiency of fractionation of ovine whey by ultrafiltration followed by nanofiltration, in terms of permeation fluxes and apparent rejections. The application possibilities of the concentrates produced were also investigated. Ultrafiltration tests were performed in total recirculation mode under different operating conditions of transmembrane pressure and feed recirculation velocity with membranes ETNA10PP, GR81PP and GR61PP. The membranes ETNA10PP turned out to be the most appropriate for the separation of the whey protein fraction because they allowed higher permeate flux (higher productivity) with apparent rejections coefficients of the protein above 90% and low apparent rejections of lactose, providing a better separation between the two fractions (protein and fraction rich in lactose). So, the membranes ETNA10PP were used in the trials of ultrafiltration, in concentration mode, till a volume concentration factor (VCF) of 4.0. Samples of concentrates were taken for the VCF´s of 1.8, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0, which were used to manufacture cheese whey, following the traditional process of production. Compared to traditional whey cheese, the curd made from protein concentrates have dried residues, ash and fat contents significantly lower than those determined in traditional whey cheese, whereas concentrations of protein and lactose and the hardness are significantly higher. The nanofiltration of ultrafiltration permeates, performed with membranes NFT50, allowed almost total recovery of lactose and organic matter, measured by chemical oxygen demand. The diafiltration of the lactose concentrates can be used for purposes of purification, according to the intended end application

Membrane applications for lactose recovering

Cheese whey, the co-product from cheese making processes, is a natural and cheap source of high value compounds, mainly proteins, small peptides, oligosaccharides, lactose, and minerals. Lactose is the main component (about 90%) of the dry extract of cheese whey. This carbohydrate has plenty of application in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its relative low sweetening power, caloric value, and glycemic index. Besides, lactose is currently available for diverse physicochemical properties, namely particle size, bulk density, distribution, and flow characteristics, extending its use for a larger range of applications. Recovery of lactose from cheese whey can be carried out through different processes, such as membrane processes, crystallization, anti-solvent crystallization, and sonocrystallization. This chapter aims to furnish a deep insight into the performance of membrane processes for lactose recovery from cheese whey

Processos de Separação por membranas fundamentos e aplicações na indústria alimentar

Lição apresentada em Provas Públicas para Professor Coordenador no Instituto Politécnico de Beja, por Antónia Teresa Zorro Nobre Macedo, 2017

Membrane technology for valorization of mango peel extracts

Mango peel is rich in nutritional and functional compounds, such as carbohydrates, dietary fibers, proteins, and phenolic compounds, with high potential to be applied in the food industry. Most of the investigation about recovery of bioactive compounds from fruit bioproducts involves extraction techniques and further separation of target compounds. There is still a lack of information about the potential of membrane processes to recover the nutritive/functional compounds present in aqueous extracts of those bioproducts. This research is addressed to study the performance of ultrafiltration (UF), followed by nanofiltration (NF) of UF permeates, to fractionate the compounds present in aqueous extracts of mango peel. Both UF and NF concentration processes were carried up to a volume concentration factor of 2.0. Membranes with molecular weight cut-offs of 25 kDa and 130 Da were used in the UF and NF steps, respectively. UF and NF concentrates showed antioxidant activity, attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds, with rejections of about 75% and 98.8%, respectively. UF membranes totally rejected the higher molecular weight compounds, and NF membranes almost totally concentrated the fermentable monosaccharides and disaccharides. Therefore, it is envisaged that NF concentrates can be utilized by the food industry or for bioenergy production

A Brief Review on Recent Processes for the Treatment of Olive Mill Effluents

During the last few decades, olive oil industrial sector has grown as a result of the modernization of olive oil mills, in response to the increasing demand of olive oil worldwide. As an undesired side effect, the amount of olive mill effluents (OME) increased, especially as a result of changing old batch press method for the continuous centrifugation-based olive oil production processes currently used, which ensure higher productivity. This chapter presents the state of the art of OME management, with focus on biological and advanced oxidation processes, either alone or in combination, varying in complexity, ease of operation and costs associated. Up to this moment, there isn’t a management strategy that can be adopted in a global scale, feasible in different socio-economic contexts and production scales. The most reasonable approach is to regard OME valorisation as a regional problem, defining decentralized treatment that in some cases can be implemented for a group of olive oil mills in the same geographic area. This aspect is receiving strong attention as European Commission is promoting the transition towards a circular economy, which aims at “closing the production loop” by recycling and reusing resources, bringing benefits for the environment, society and the economy

Membrane Technology for Valorization of Mango Peel Extracts

Mango peel is rich in nutritional and functional compounds, such as carbohydrates, dietary fibers, proteins, and phenolic compounds, with high potential to be applied in the food industry. Most of the investigation about recovery of bioactive compounds from fruit bioproducts involves extraction techniques and further separation of target compounds. There is still a lack of information about the potential of membrane processes to recover the nutritive/functional compounds present in aqueous extracts of those bioproducts. This research is addressed to study the performance of ultrafiltration (UF), followed by nanofiltration (NF) of UF permeates, to fractionate the compounds present in aqueous extracts of mango peel. Both UF and NF concentration processes were carried up to a volume concentration factor of 2.0. Membranes with molecular weight cut-offs of 25 kDa and 130 Da were used in the UF and NF steps, respectively. UF and NF concentrates showed antioxidant activity, attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds, with rejections of about 75% and 98.8%, respectively. UF membranes totally rejected the higher molecular weight compounds, and NF membranes almost totally concentrated the fermentable monosaccharides and disaccharides. Therefore, it is envisaged that NF concentrates can be utilized by the food industry or for bioenergy productioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Integration of membrane processes for by-product valorization to improve the eco-efficiency of small/medium size cheese dairy plants

Goat and second cheese whey from sheep’s milk are by-products of the manufacture of goat cheeses and whey cheeses from sheep. Due to their composition which, apart from water— about 92%—includes lactose, proteins, fat, and minerals, and the elevated volumes generated, these by-products constitute one of the main problems facing to cheese producers. Aiming to add value to those by-products, this study evaluates the efficiency of ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UF/DF) for the recovery of protein fraction, the most valuable component. For a daily production of 3500 and using the experimental results obtained in the UF/DF tests, a membrane installation was designed for valorization of protein fraction, which currently have no commercial value. A Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) and Sensitivity Analysis (SA) were performed to evaluate the profitability of installing that membrane unit to produce three new innovative products from the liquid whey protein concentrates (LWPC), namely food gels, protein concentrates in powder and whey cheeses with probiotics. It was possible to obtain LWPC of around 80% and 64% of crude protein, from second sheep cheese whey and goat cheese whey, respectively. From a survey of commercial values for the intended applications, the results of CBA and SA show that this system is economically viable in small/medium sized cheese dairiesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mango peel nanofiltration concentrates to enhance anaerobic digestion of slurry from piglets fed with laminaria

The environmental impact of biowaste generated during animal production can be mitigated by applying a circular economy model: recycling, reinventing the life cycle of biowaste, and developing it for a new use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding sugar concentrate solutions obtained from the nanofiltration of fruit biowaste (mango peel) to slurry from piglets fed with diets incorporating macroalgae on biogas production performance. The nanofiltration of ultrafiltration permeates from aqueous extracts of mango peel was carried out using membranes with a molecular weight cut-off of 130 Da until a volume concentration factor of 2.0 was reached. A slurry resulting from piglets fed with an alternative diet with the incorporation of 10% Laminaria was used as a substrate. Three different trials were performed sequentially: (i) a control trial (AD0) with faeces resulting from a cereal and soybean-meal-based diet (S0); (ii) a trial with S1 (10% L. digitata) (AD1), and (iii) an AcoD trial to assess the effect of the addition of a co-substrate (20%) to S1 (80%). The trials were performed in a continuous-stirred tank reactor (CSTR) under mesophilic conditions (37.0   0.4  C), with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 13 days. The specific methane production (SMP) increased by 29% during the anaerobic co-digestion process. These results can support the design of alternative valorisation routes for these biowastes, contributing to sustainable development goals