Using membrane separation processes to obtain clarified cashew apple juice.

Abstract

This work proposed to study the clarification effects of in natura cashew pulp and hydrolyzed pulp using the processes of microfiltration and ultrafiltration.  Half of the pulp was previously hydrolyzed by the enzymes preparation Pectinex Ultra SP-L. The clarifications were carried out through a filtration system that may be adapted to any tubular membrane. Two tubular membranes were used, a ceramic unit with size of pore 0.1 mm and permeation area of 0.005 m2, used to microfiltration, and a polyvinylidene difluoride made membrane used for ultrafiltration, with 30 - 80 KDa cut off and permeation area of 0.05 m2. A total of four clarifications were performed: in nature pulp to microfiltration, in nature pulp to ultrafiltration, hydrolyzed pulp to microfiltration, and hydrolyzed pulp to ultrafiltration. All experiments were carried out at 30ºC and 2.0 bar transmembrane pressure. The physical-chemicals analyses that presented the most significant variations were the pulp content, in which the obtained clarified juice presented zero pulp content; the haze, with 99% reduction; the condensed tannins, with 96% reduction; and an increase in the luminosity of the clarified juice.