Dynamic market rich in opportunities
Proteins from peas, rice, beans, nuts, and grains can be used for a wide range of food products, drinks, and powder ingredients. The popularity of oat milk, coconut water, soy products and plant-based alternatives to yoghurt and cheese, testifies to a booming market.
In New Foods, microorganisms like fungi, mycelia, yeast and algae are created using filtration-supported fermentation processes. When cultured, they can create alternative proteins and other key ingredients.
Other New Food segments include insect-based products and synthetic biology sources based on self-producing animal cells. Here, membrane filtration has a key role to play in concentration, separation and protein fractionation.
Uses
Plant and new protein production
A New Food generation
Membrane filtration is integral to producing protein products from plant-based and novel food sources. Microfiltration and ultrafiltration are the favoured technologies for isolating and concentrating plant proteins efficiently. Their membranes selectively separate proteins based on size and molecular weight, enabling the extraction of specific protein fractions with desired functionalities. This fractionation crucial for creating high-quality plant-based protein ingredients used in various food applications, such as meat substitutes, dairy alternatives and protein-enriched products.
New-food fermentation
A key process enabler
Precision fermentation plays a valuable role in processing new food sources. The process involves microfiltration for microorganism purification and harvesting, followed by nanofiltration to concentrate the product prior to downstream processing. The secret is to use membranes with the appropriate pore size for each specific product. Using microfiltration and nanofiltration also ensures higher product yield compared to alternative technologies.
Bacterial removal
Product quality at the forefront
Microfiltration and ultrafiltration are the two membrane filtration technologies for removing undesired microorganisms from food process flows. Bacteria, spores and bitterness can all be removed from plant and new-food proteins to safeguard the product’s quality and enhance its taste. Depending on the membrane pore size, microfiltration and ultrafiltration can remove a higher fraction of microorganisms than alternative technologies.
Plant-based drinks clarification
The right appearance and mouthfeel
Clarification of juice and plant-based beverages is a processing step closely linked to product quality, appearance and mouthfeel. A wide range of plant-based drinks can be clarified using microfiltration or ultrafiltration – from orange and other fruit juices to vegetable juices and coconut water. The gentle filtration process removes impurities and suspended solids without impacting prime raw ingredients.
Tofu and plant-based yoghurt
Ensuring good taste and product quality
Today, proteins from grains, nuts and many other sources are used in the production of a wide range of plant-based food products, including yoghurt and tofu. The non-invasive filtration process, using microfiltration or nanofiltration, is effective at concentrating plant-based proteins and preserving the desired original taste of the raw materials, while removing bacteria, spores and ingredient bitterness. These same filtration technologies can be used to produce tofu. The method typically involves extracting soy base from soybeans and then treating it with nanofiltration or ultrafiltration to concentrate the protein content and increase total solids.
Solids concentration
Better flavour, longer shelf life
Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are valuable tools for concentrating and standardizing plant-based solids. A reverse osmosis membrane allows water molecules to pass through while blocking larger molecules and ions. This concentrates the water content of products such as fruit juices and increases the concentration of solids. The process enhances flavours, reduces transport costs and extends product shelf life.
Sugar standardization
Effective water removal
Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration two technologies that are used to standardize sugar content and concentrate tea and coffee extracts. By removing water from sugar solutions, reverse osmosis plays a useful role in the production of concentrated fruit juices, syrups and liquid sweeteners. Reverse osmosis is commonly used to remove water from brewed tea and coffee to yield a more concentrated liquid that can be further processed into instant tea or coffee products. Nanofiltration can be employed to standardize sugar content in a similar manner to reverse osmosis, allowing for precise control over sugar concentration in a solution. It can also concentrate tea and coffee solutions, allowing the final product to tailored to specific flavour and concentration requirements.
Technologies
Separation and concentration combined
Ultrafiltration
Ultrafiltration plays a key role in production of plant-based and New Foods. Ultrafiltration membranes’ open structure is ideal for separation and concentration. The membranes selectively allow salts, sugars, organic acids and smaller peptides to pass through, and the pressure applied is relatively low.
Bacteria and spore removal
Microfiltration
Microfiltration membranes have the most open pore size of the main dairy filtration technologies. In plant-based and new food production, they allow most dissolved substances to pass through while rejecting bacteria and fat globules, which remain in the retentate.
Useful concentration step
Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is often used to concentrate plant-based solids, tea and coffee extracts and novel food products. The process enhances flavours, reduces transportation costs and extends product shelf life. A reverse osmosis membrane selectively allows water molecules to pass through while blocking larger molecules and ions. The technology can also standardize sugar content by selectively removing water from sugar solutions. This is useful in the production of concentrated fruit juices, syrups and liquid sweeteners.
Precise control
Nanofiltration
Nanofiltration is a versatile tool in the production of plant-based foods, offering precise control over the composition, concentration and quality of various plant-derived components. Often used in fruit and vegetable juice processing, nanofiltration selectively removes water to intensify flavours and natural sugars. It contributes to colour enhancement and debittering in extracts, ensuring a palatable taste. In protein isolation, nanofiltration fractionates plant proteins for specific functionalities in plant-based dairy alternatives. It also aids in waste reduction by treating processing effluents.
Harvesting and concentration
Precision fermentation
Precision fermentation is the prime process technology for new food sources. The process combines microfiltration for microorganism purification and harvesting with nanofiltration to concentrate the product prior to downstream processing. The key is to use membranes with the appropriate pore size for the specific new-food product. Filtration enables higher product yield compared to separators or decanters that use centrifugal force. Filtration also outperforms in bacterial and spore removal as it is capable of removing a higher fraction of microorganisms than a centrifugal bactofuge.
Purification by flushing
Diafiltration
A type of membrane filtration known as diafiltration can be used to purify new-food proteins. Diafiltration adds water to the product during filtration to flush out undesired components and increase protein content in the remaining dry matter.
