Pilot scale production of micellar casein concentrate using stainless steel membrane

A stainless steel (SS) membrane was used for separation of micellar casein and serum proteins. A 4× concentration process was used for comparing separation performance, after which a 0.02 μm SS membrane was chosen for further studies. Furthermore, serum protein reduction efficiency between the 0.02 μm SS membrane was compared with literature data for a 0.1 μm ceramic membrane for a 3×, 3-stage process. The results showed that the 4× permeate obtained by 0.02 μm SS membrane contained no residual casein. The average skim milk flux for each stage (68.6, 76.2, and 85.7 L m−2 h−1) with the SS membrane was higher than that for each stage (54.0, 54.0 and 54.6 L m−2 h−1) with the ceramic membranes; serum protein removal for each stage with the SS membrane was close to that with ceramic membranes. Overall, the 0.02 μm SS membrane has potential applications in milk protein fractionation.