Processing of Beverages by Membranes

Abstract

Beverage is a liquid drink which can be consumed by the mass of people as source of nutrient, energy, and hydration. Worldwide market share of beverage industries is increasing every day and young generation is the main consumer. To maintain the market share, these industries have a challenge to improve the quality of product in a cost-effective manner. Membrane separation has emerged as an important technology and enjoys a variety of advantages over conventional separation techniques employed by industries. With regard to food and beverage processing, membrane technologies score higher than other alternatives due to (i) low energy consumption, (ii) no involvement of phase change, and (iii) no need to add chemicals. Hence, use of membrane as separation media and its use in the clarification applications have attracted the attention of scientists and engineers. In this regard, the present effort is undertaken to understand the evolution of membrane technology in beverage processing, scope, potential of application, and future prospective.