Influence of high shear rate on particles size, rheological behavior and fouling propensity of fruit juices during crossflow microfiltration: Case of orange juice

Crossflow microfiltration is successfully applied to stabilize and clarify fruit juices or to concentrate their pulpy fraction. This work aimed to characterize for the first time the impact of high shear rate applied during crossflow microfiltration on the particles size distribution, the rheological behavior and the overall fouling propensity of fruit juices. This work showed for the first time that it is important to consider the impact of high shear rates on the particles size fractionation and the release of foulant compounds when carrying-out fruit juices microfiltration under high crossflow velocities. Crossflow microfiltration of fruit juices under high crossflow velocity may not be, in some cases, the most appropriate strategy to reduce membrane fouling. According to the juice characteristics, specific industrial strategies such as enzymatic treatment or mechanical actions (e.g. back-pulsing) would be more useful than crossflow velocity to enhance the overall performance of microfiltration.