Study of methods and procedures for cleaning of ceramic membranes after microfiltration of raw whey

Sirotka je eden od proizvodov pri proizvodnji sira v mlekarski industriji. Sestavine sirotke se obravnavajo kot sestavine z dodano vrednostjo v formulah za dojenčke, hrani in pijači za športno prehrano ter drugih živilskih izdelkih. Sirotka je vir raznovrstnih biološko aktivnih spojin z edinstvenimi funkcionalnimi lastnostmi in omogoča živilski industriji, da razvije funkcionalna živila s potencialnimi zdravstvenimi koristmi. Sirotka je sestavljena iz različnih komponent, kot so proteini, mineralne soli, laktoza, mlečna maščoba, mikroorganizmi in ostale snovi (Barukcic et al., 2014). Za svežo sirotko je značilno, da je zelo dovzetna za kvarjenje zaradi prisotnosti mikroorganizmov, zato je potrebno, da jo hranimo pri ustreznih pogojih. V mlekarski industriji se pogosto uporabljajo postopki mikrofiltracije (MF) in ultrafiltracije (UF), kjer se MF uporablja za odstranitev mikroorganizmov, bakterij in nečistoč, medtem ko se UF uporablja predvsem za koncentriranje sirotke. V zadnjih 10 letih je mlekarska industrija spoznala, da se lahko s postopkom mikrofiltracije iz kisle sirotke ločijo različni mikroorganizme, proteini, kazein, bakterije, maščobe in različne lipide. Z metodo mikrofiltracije prav tako predelamo kislo sirotko, da lahko postane varna za izpust v okolje. Nepredelana kisla sirotka namreč vsebuje veliko nitratov in fosfatov, ki povzročajo evtrofikacijo naravne vode, kar pa pomeni odmiranje naravnih organizmov in poseganje v naravno kroženje snovi. Pri postopku mikrofiltracije, se na keramičnih membranah ustvari biološki film mikroorganizmov. Glavni problem postane močno mašenje keramične membrane zaradi tega filma, ki onemogoča nadaljnjo filtracijo. Pojavi se potreba po vzpostavitvi najbolj učinkovitega načina oz. postopka čiščenja membrane s primernimi čistili.Whey is one of the products in cheese production in the dairy industry. Whey ingredients are treated as value-added ingredients in baby food, sports nutrition foods and beverages, and other food products. Whey is a source for a variety of biologically active compounds with unique functional properties, it also enables the food industry to develop functional foods with potential health benefits. Whey is composed of various components such as proteins, mineral salts, lactose, milk fat, microorganisms and other substances (Barukcic et al., 2014). Fresh whey is characterized by being very susceptible to spoilage due to the presence of microorganisms, so it is necessary to store it under appropriate conditions. Microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) processes are commonly used in the dairy industry, where MF is used to remove microorganisms, bacteria, and impurities, while UF is used primarily to concentrate whey. In the last 10 years, the dairy industry has realized that various microorganisms, proteins, casein, bacteria, fats and various lipids can be separated from acid whey by the microfiltration process. We also process acid whey with the microfiltration method, so that it becomes safe to release in the environment. Unprocessed acid whey contains a lot of nitrates and phosphates, which cause the eutrophication of natural water, which means the death of natural organisms and interference with the natural circulation of matter. In the microfiltration process, a biological film of microorganisms is created on the ceramic membranes. The main problem becomes the strong clogging of the ceramic membrane due to this film, which prevents further filtration. There is a need to establish the most effective way or a process for cleaning the membrane with suitable cleaners