Optimization of ultrafiltration of whey using Taguchi method for maximizing recovery of lactose

Whey filtration: a review of products, application, and pretreatment with transglutaminase enzyme

In the cheese industry, whey, which is rich in lactose and proteins, is underutilized, causing adverse environmental impacts. The fractionation of its components, typically carried out through filtration membranes, faces operational challenges such as membrane fouling, significant protein loss during the process, and extended operating times. These challenges require attention and specific methods for optimization and to increase efficiency. A promising strategy to enhance industry efficiency and sustainability is the use of enzymatic pre-treatment with the enzyme transglutaminase (TGase). This enzyme plays a crucial role in protein modification, catalyzing covalent cross-links between lysine and glutamine residues, increasing the molecular weight of proteins, facilitating their retention on membranes, and contributing to the improvement of the quality of the final products. The aim of this study is to review the application of the enzyme TGase as a pretreatment in whey protein filtration. The scope involves assessing the enzyme's impact on whey protein properties and its relationship with process performance. It also aims to identify both the optimization of operational parameters and the enhancement of product characteristics. This study demonstrates that the application of TGase leads to improved performance in protein concentration, lactose permeation, and permeate flux rate during the filtration process. It also has the capacity to enhance protein solubility, viscosity, thermal stability, and protein gelation in whey. In this context, it is relevant for enhancing the characteristics of whey, thereby contributing to the production of higher quality final products in the food industry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Different Chenopodium formosanum Parts on Antioxidant Capacity and Optimal Extraction Analysis by Taguchi Method

Chenopodium formosanum (CF), rich in nutrients and antioxidants, is a native plant in Taiwan. During the harvest, the seeds are collected, while the roots, stems, and leaves remain on the field as agricultural waste. In this study, di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium (DPPH) radical scavenging ability and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging ability experiments of seeds, leaves, stems, and roots were designed using the Taguchi method (TM) under three conditions: Ethanol concentration (0-100%), temperature (25-65 °C), and extraction time (30-150 min). The result demonstrates that seeds and leaves have higher radical scavenging ability than stems and roots. Many studies focused on CF seeds. Therefore, this study selected CF leaves and optimized DPPH, ABTS, total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and reducing power (RP) through TM, showing that the predicted value of the leaf is close to the actual value. The optimized results of CF leaves were DPPH 85.22%, ABTS 46.51%, TPC 116.54 µg GAE/mL, TFC 143.46 µg QE/mL, and RP 23.29 µg VCE (vitamin C equivalent)/mL. The DPPH and ABTS of CF leaves were second only to the results of CF seeds. It can be seen that CF leaves have the potential as a source of antioxidants and help in waste reduction.

Improving the clarity and sensitization of polysorbate 80 by ultrasonic-assisted ultrafiltration technology

The safety problem of injections caused by clarity has lately become a widely shared concern. Due to the synthesis process, polysorbate 80 had a wide molecular weight distribution, which is also related to the clinical anaphylaxis. In this paper, ultrasonic-assisted ultrafiltration (UAU) technology was firstly applied to regulate colloidal structure and remove macromolecules from polysorbate 80 to improve injection clarity. In the separation process, ultrafiltration molecular weight cut off (MWCO), ultrasonic power and polysorbate 80 concentraion were selected as variables to adjust the separation efficiency. The ultrasonic frequency and power were provided by KQ-700DE ultrasonic system, based on the data analysis by response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal UAU parameters were as follows: ultrafiltration MWCO of 50,000, ultrasonic power of 900 W and polysorbate 80 concentration of 15.00 mg/mL. The experimental transmittance of polysorbate 80 was 87.6% and the qualification rate of clarity was 94.5%, which solved the separation contradiction among yield, clarity and safety. As an innovation in colloidal separation fields, UAU had a vast range of prospects for making use in pharmaceutical area.