Clarification of pineapple juice by microfiltration

In the present work, pineapple juice was first hydrolyzed with a commercial pectinase (Ultrazym 100 G) and then clarified by microfiltration. A tubular polyethersulfone membrane with an average cut-off of 0.3 mu m and a total effective filtration area of 0.05 m(2) was applied. The transmembrane pressures were 1.5 and 3.0 bar, respectively, and the processes was conducted at room temperature. The results showed that the pineapple juice permeate fluxes were of 57.77 L/m(2)/hours (1.5 bar) and 46.85 L/m(2)/hours (3.0 bar). Concentration polarization and possibly fouling occurred during the processes. The best clarified juice fluxes were obtained when low transmembrane pressures (1.5 bar) were applied.