Limiting permeate flux in the clarification of untreated starfruit juice by membrane ultrafiltration

This paper describes the limiting flux of untreated starfruit juice obtained during clarification using membrane ultrafiltration. Experiments were conducted in a stirred cell unit using membranes of 25,000 MWCO at 30 degrees C for a range of juice concentration varying from 0.46 to 6.5 wt.%. In addition to the limiting flux behaviour, the relationship between the concentration of solute in the bulk solution and the gel layer was also established. The measured experimental data was analysed using the gel model. In general, it was concluded that the gel model could not satisfactorily describe the clarification of starfruit juice. The observed deviation from the model was mainly due to the high pectin content of the juice. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.