Abstract
Separation and high recovery factor of proteins similar in molecular mass is a challenging task, and heavily studied in the literature. In this work, a systematic study to separate a binary protein mixture by charged ultrafiltration membranes without affecting membrane performance was carried out. alpha-lactalbumin (ALA, 14.4 kDa) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG, 18.4 kDa) were used as a binary model system. These two proteins are the main proteins of whey, a very well-known byproduct from the dairy industry. Initially, a systematic characterization of individual proteins was carried out to determine parameters (protein size and aggregation, zeta potential) which could influence their passage through a charged membrane. Then, the influence of operating parameters (such as initial protein concentration, pH, and critical pressure) on the UF process was investigated, so as to identify conditions that limit membrane fouling whilst maximizing protein recovery factor and purity. The study permitted to identify process conditions able to fully separate ALA from BLG, with high purity (95%) and recovery factor (80%), in a single UF step. Compared to studies reported in literature, here, the main approach used was to carry out a charged UF process far from proteins isoelectric point (pI) to limit protein aggregation and membrane fouling.