Chromatographic techniques applied to dairy product manufacturing

Abstract

[Excerpt] Introduction: Adsorption is defined as a spontaneous process during which one or more components of system concentrates on the interfacial region. Adsorption is, in most cases, a transient process, involving a solid and a fluid. The use of a solid is the main distinguishing feature from other processes such as absorption, distillation, or extraction. Solids are able to adsorb only traces of solute, therefore making this method useful for dilute solutions. The adsorbed solute, the adsorbate, does not dissolve into the solid; it stays on its surface or inside the pores. The process of adsorption is mostly reversible, and changes in pressure or temperature can easily provoke the removal of that solute from the solid. Adsorption has been used by the chemical and food industries for quite some time, and is taking its place in the purification and isolation of biocompounds in the pharmaceutical and fine-chemistry areas. The applications of adsorption in the food industry removal of color, odor, and other compounds that are a negative influence on the sensory characteristics of foods, such as liquid and crystal sugars, alcoholic drinks, fruit juices, fats and edible oils, among others; industrial purification of air and other gases, wastewater recycling, and organic solvents recovery; separation and purification of high-added-value products, such as various acids, vitamins, enzymes, and proteins (e.g., cheese whey proteins). [...]