Effect of operating temperature on component distribution of West Indian cherry juice in a microfiltration system

Microfiltration (MF) with a 0.14 μm cut-off tubular ceramic membrane was used to clarify West Indian cherry juice under operating conditions of flow rate 8.0 l/min, pressure 0.2 MPa and temperatures 10-40 °C. The analytical results demonstrated that heat treatment was effective in reducing fouling layer specific resistance. Faster foulant consolidation of the fouling layer, but lower specific resistance and thus higher steady-state flux, occurred when MF was operated at 40 °C. The clarification degree of the permeate increased and was light pink. The distribution coefficients of components, including glucose, fructose and ascorbic acid, remained constant or increased slightly, but the coefficient of total solids reduced with increasing temperature. The concentrations of components in the permeate and retentate at various volume concentration ratios (VCR) and temperatures were forecast using a mathematical model based on the theory of mass and components balancing. Similar to previous measurements, the analytical results demonstrated that VCR did not influence the component distribution, and most components of juice rather than total solids were retained in permeate. These findings confirm that MF membrane enables the industrial clarification of West Indian cherry juice. The permeate obtained was a chemical composition that was sterile and closely approximated to the original one.