Development and modeling of a microextraction system for the separation of whey proteins from bovine milk
Whey, Proteins, Microextraction, Modeling.
The use of whey from the cheese production process for the production of nutritional supplements, better known as whey protein, has been of great commercial interest in recent years. Technologies used for the separation of serum proteins are represented mainly by membrane separation (PSM) processes. Among these processes are Microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Nanofiltration (NF) and Reverse Osmosis (OR). At the end of the separation process there can be two fractions: protein concentrates or protein isolates. In the case of the concentrate, it has a composition of 35 to 80% of proteins, while the isolate has more than 90% of proteins. Although membrane separation (PSM) processes are widely used, some disadvantages can be highlighted, such as the high cost of operation and maintenance. Thus, it is important to study alternative technologies to promote the separation of proteins from serum. Microextraction systems can be considered as a very promising alternative for the usual technologies for protein extraction. The microdevices for extraction offer a more controlled and safe operation, as well as promote an intensification of the mass transfer phenomena in the process, leading to an increase of extraction efficiency with reduction of time, which implies in cost reduction. Therefore, the present work proposes the development of a liquid phase microextraction system for the study of protein separation from bovine serum. Also, in a complementary way to the study, it is proposed to develop and implement a mathematical model which is able to describe the microextraction, providing a better understanding of the system at a micro scale and its potential for the intensification of the processes.