Length dependency of flux and protein permeation in crossflow microfiltration of skimmed milk

Crossflow microfiltration of skimmed milk to fractionate casein micelles and whey protein was investigated regarding length dependency of flux and whey protein permeation using a 1.2 m long, 0.1 μm tubular ceramic membrane. A special module consisting of four sections was constructed allowing to assess the effects of membrane length online by measuring flux and permeation of the whey protein β-lactoglobulin as a function of local processing conditions. It was found that under the applied filtration parameters (mean transmembrane pressure Δp_TM,m = 0.5 bar; temperature θ{symbol} = 55 °C; wall shear stress τ_w = 115 Pa) main parts of the membrane were controlled by a deposit layer. In consequence, the transmission of the whey protein β-lactoglobulin increases from 38% to 87% from membrane inlet to membrane outlet. Results show that a local optimum for protein fractionation exists regarding membrane resistance and process conditions.