Membrane processes for protein recovery: Present and future

The success of membrane technology in the food industry is directly linked to the success of membranes in protein recovery. Proteins are one of the most important food ingredients and their global market is growing rapidly. In 2012 the global market of protein accounted for 19 billion USD, while for 2018 it is expected to reach 28 billion USD. The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview on the development of membrane technology for protein recovery in the food industry reviewing present and future applications.The first successful integration of membrane technology was the recovery of proteins from whey - a by-product from the cheese production - which was until the 1970ies a major disposal challenge for the dairy industry due to its low solid content and high biological oxygen demand. Using ultrafiltration, it was suddenly possible to concentrate and desalt whey proteins and use them for the production of whey protein concentrates and isolates. Based on this success story membrane processes established themselves for the concentration of other animal protein-rich products like animal blood plasma, fish proteins and egg white. In recent years it became more and more apparent that a shift from animal proteins to plant proteins is essential for a more sustainable food system. This trend is supported by customer’s behavior, e.g. the USA reached in 2016 “peak meat” and for the first time in history meat consumption was declining – a trend which can be observed in other Western countries. Membrane technology can again play an important role in this new trend. The key focus is on the optimal utilization of established and emerging crops as sources as plant protein source. With regard to established crops, the recovery of e.g. wheat and sun flower proteins supported by membrane technology has been established on industrial scale, while the recovery of e.g. rape seed proteins as by-product of the rape seed oil production with membrane processes is still under development. Furthermore, new crops such as quinoa are entering the European market and membrane processes can be a vital part by recovering quinoa proteins as part of the quinoa starch production.Overall, this presentation will highlight the importance of membrane processes in the recovery of protein from both animal and plant sources supported by both examples of industrial processes and processes under development