Microfiltration-based separation of milk proteins and their enzymatic hydrolysis using papain

Csighy, Attila and Nath, Arijit and Varga-Boda, Boglárka and Némethné Szerdahelyi, Emőke and Gáspár, Igor and Ren, Feiyue and Liu, Hongzhi and Koris, András (2025) Microfiltration-based separation of milk proteins and their enzymatic hydrolysis using papain. PROGRESS IN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING SCIENCES, 21 (1). pp. 495-509. ISSN 1786-335X

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Abstract

In recent years, consumer preferences have shifted towards healthier food choices, emphasizing quality and nutritional benefits. This study aims to utilize microfiltration to produce milk with a lower protein concentration, thereby improving its suitability for individuals with milk protein allergies. Microfiltration of fat-free UHT milk using ceramic membranes (Membralox – 5, 1.4, and 0.8 µm) demonstrated that a 0.8 µm pore size has efficient protein fractionation at high permeation rates, lowering the permeate protein concentration to <10 g L −1 (R Protein = 69.4%). Membranes with larger pore sizes (1.4 and 5 µm) exhibited only marginal protein selectivity, indicating their suitability primarily for cold-sterilization purposes. Enzymatic hydrolysis with papain was effective on the 0.8 µm permeate, yielding low-molecular-weight peptides and eliminating allergenic proteins based on molecular-weight reduction. Microfiltration (MF) can be employed as a pre-treatment to reduce protein content, facilitating enzymatic hydrolysis.

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