Applications of Reverse Osmosis in the Food Industry

    Reverse osmosis is probably best known for its application in water treatment, used to desalinate brackish water and remove colour, turbidity, bacteria and viruses.

    However, there are a large number of other applications in the food, dairy and beverage industries. Water used as an ingredient in food and beverages must be free from any harmful impurities, including undesirable taste, odour and colour. Treated water is also a key ingredient in food preparation.

    Such as Coca-Cola, where a mixture of sweeteners, minerals and other compounds are added to low total dissolved solids (TDS) water treated with a reverse osmosis membrane system to achieve the desired taste and nutrient content. And once again, a globally consistent taste is ensured.

  

Application of reverse osmosis membranes in modern fruit and vegetable processing

    Membrane separation technology in fruit and vegetable juice processing is mainly used for the concentration and clarification of fruit and vegetable juices and is an important processing technology. For example, the concentration of apple juice by reverse osmosis enables the juice to maintain its original nutrient content and taste for a long time.

    Reverse osmosis technology can be operated at low temperatures, which can effectively avoid browning reactions and volatilisation of aromatic components during the concentration process, ensuring that the juice has good nutritional value and its original organoleptic quality. The clarification of fruit and vegetable juices can remove the tiny residues and precipitation in fruit and vegetable juices, making them homogeneous and stable, without the disadvantages of discolouration and turbidity at a later stage.

Application of reverse osmosis membranes in dairy product processing

    The use of membrane separation technology in foreign dairy processing industries has become very common. At present, almost all international dairy processing plants have adopted industrial reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration units for processing skim milk and whey, especially the use of membrane separation technology to separate whey protein concentrate has formed a considerable scale of production capacity.

    In the processing of dairy products, the main aspects of membrane separation technology applied are: dairy sterilisation and concentration, standardisation of dairy products, milk protein concentration, recovery and processing of whey, etc.

    The possible applications for reverse osmosis in the food industry are numerous and growing. Reverse osmosis is becoming more and more common in food processing facilities every year. Food safety and shelf life can both be improved by membranes.

    There are many reasons for using reverse osmosis membranes, including process flexibility, increased throughput compared to other methods, reduced manpower to operate the system, smaller footprint and overall cost savings. The elimination of other filtration and its associated waste and negative impact on product taste makes reverse osmosis membranes an attractive option.