Membrane Processing in Food Industry

Membrane science and technology is an expanding field in the preservation, nutritional performance and safety of food products. In the last two decades, separation processes have emerged in which membranes play a vital role in the isolation and enrichment of functional ingredients by concentrating, fractionating or purifying fluids or gases. Membrane separations have led to the development of innovative products with unique functional, nutritional and health attributes. Membrane separation processes stand out as alternatives to conventional processes for the food industries. In many cases the low energy consumption, reduction in number of processing steps, greater separation efficiency and improved final product quality are the main attractions of these processes.