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Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Solutions to support your business GEA designs and engineers customer-orientated membrane filtration solutions for the dairy industry. GEA is a leader in filtration technology providing membrane filtration plants for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, and known worldwide for its design of the most advanced cross-flow membrane filtration systems available. GEA is uniquely positioned to provide both customized membrane filtration plants as well as complete process lines, specifically tailored to the dairy industry and...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Membrane technology overview 4 Process units for each application 16 GEA EasyCon filtration unit 19 Membrane replacement and process performance service 22 Smart Filtration Solutions 24

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Membrane technology overview Membrane filtration is a separation process which separates a liquid into two streams by means of a semi‑permeable membrane. The two streams are referred to as retentate and permeate. By using membranes with different pore sizes, it is possible to separate specific components of milk and whey. Depending on the application in question, the specified components are either concentrated or removed/reduced.

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Membrane filtration can basically be divided into four main technologies Microfiltration (tight) Ultrafiltration (UF) Ultrafiltration is a medium pressure-driven membrane filtration process. Ultrafiltration is based on a membrane with a mediumopen structure allowing most dissolved components and some non-dissolved components to pass, while larger components are rejected by the membrane. In the dairy industry UF is widely used in concentration of whey protein concentration and milk protein concentration and/or standardization. Microfiltration (MF) Microfiltration...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Reverse osmosis Reverse osmosis (RO) Reverse osmosis is a high pressure-driven membrane filtration process which is based on a very dense membrane. In principle, only water passes through the membrane layer. In the dairy industry, reverse osmosis is normally used for concentration or volume reduction of milk and whey, milk solids recovery and water reclamation. Nanofiltration (NF) Nanofiltration is a medium to high pressure-driven membrane filtration process. Generally speaking, nanofiltration is another type of reverse osmosis where the membrane has...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Bacteria reduction ESL (extended shelf life) milk Microfiltration is widely used in the production of highquality market milk and ESL milk. Traditional heat treatment inactivates microorganisms, but also denatures whey proteins and some vitamins and impacts taste. With microfiltration, there is physical removal of bacteria, spores, dead cells and other impurities, protecting the composition of the milk and its natural taste. Cheese milk Improvement of cheese milk can be achieved using microfiltration. The natural content of anaerobic spores in milk -...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Milk protein fractionation Casein standardization of cheese milk When it comes to obtaining process control and quality, a uniform and stable production process is of the highest importance. By using microfiltration, it is possible to fractionate casein and whey proteins. Thereby it is possible to standardize the concentration of casein in the cheese milk to obtain the correct ratio between casein and fat. Micellar casein (MCI) and native whey production Microfiltration can fractionate milk proteins into casein and whey proteins. The fractionated casein...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Protein concentration Cheese milk Ultrafiltration followed by a standard cheese production process can be used for pre-concentration of cheese milk. In this way, the protein level of the cheese milk is raised and kept constant, which contributes to optimization and increased throughput of the cheese making equipment. The by-product of the ultrafiltration process (permeate) is perfectly suited for lowering the protein content of other products, such as skim milk powder. Milk protein concentrate Ultrafiltration is commonly used in the production of milk...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Ultrafiltration unit housings Protein standardization High-grade lactose by decalcification (calcium removal) In the production of lactose, ultrafiltration can be used as a separation process for the decalcification of preconcentrated permeates (by RO or preferably NF), resulting in a very pure lactose solution. As calcium-phosphate is highly insoluble, it can be easily removed by means of UF following a thermal precipitation process. Applying this technology will, in general, result in high-quality lactose, where the reduction of calciumphosphate will...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry High heat treatment Clean filling Bacteria rich Heat treatment Surplus cream Whey protein factionation Bacteria reduction Casein enriched concentrate Cream Lactose reduction Lactose-free milk Heat treatment Clean filling Protein standardization Acid/enzyme precipitation Milk protein concentrate (MPC 40-85) Skim milk Milk protein isolate (MPI 88-92) Protein concentration White cheese concentrate P Cheese making process Cheese milk Fat removal Whole skim milk concentrate Standardized milk Casein concentrate Milk concentration R Milk protein hydrolysate...

Membrane filtration in the dairy industry Nanofiltration is a cost-effective technology for partial demineralization of whey Concentration Whey and permeate Nanofiltration of whey and permeates will reduce the mineral content – especially sodium and potassium chlorides (monovalent ions) – in these products, and since both whey and permeates in most cases need to pass through a concentration step prior to further processing, nanofiltration becomes a very attractive technology, as it combines volume reduction with partial demineralization in the same process step. Lactose Lactose is mainly produced...