PPI Spring Meeting 2001 - Abstract
Optimization of Processing Conditions for Bag-In-Box Project:
Brine Filtration
Oladiran Fasina
Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University
One of the reasons for the development of the bag-in-box project
is to reduce/eliminate pickle disposal problems caused by excess
salt removed from conventionally fermented pickles. In addition,
it is desired that the brine from the low-salt fermentation process
be reusable. This will require that microbial cells and other
insolubles from the brine be removed by a separation process.
We have used a crossflow filtration method in this project because
of versatility and cost. The design and optimization of a crossflow
filtration system for the removal of insolubles and cells from
pickle fermentation brine will entail carrying out studies on
the effect of process and material properties on the efficiency
of the process. Specifically, we investigated the effect of cell
concentration, flow rate, filter pore size and transmembrane pressure
on filtration rate, and on the quality of the filtered brine.
Results obtained showed that:
(a) Crossflow filtration with filter pore size of 0.2
mm or lower can be effectively used to removal microbial cells
and insolubles from brine obtained from the bag-in-box project.
The quality of the brine was not affected by the filtration process.
(b) The rate at which filtered brine was obtained significantly
increased with increase in pressure across the filter and with
feed velocity. Within the limits of the cell concentration found
in pickle fermentation, rate of brine filtration was not significantly
influenced by cell concentration.
(c) Based on the studies carried out and the limits of the
pilot-scale cross-flow filtration system used, we recommend
that brine filtration should be carried out using the following
operating conditions: transmembrane pressure of 15 psi (103.42
kPa), feed flow rate of 3.1 gpm (11.63 L/min), and filter pore
size of 0.2 mm. This combination will yield about 3.5 gallons
per square feet per hour (140 liters per square meter per hour)
of filtered brine.
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