Fruit juice processing using membrane technology: A review

Sweet sorghum juice clarification and concentration: a review

Sweet sorghum is a promising biomaterial, considering its nutritional and energy value, unpretentiousness in cultivation and its promising economic parameters of processing. The concentrate of sweet sorghum juice is an outstanding material for food purposes, meeting the emerging trends of the industry. This review presents data on the physicochemical properties of sweet sorghum juice and sirup, as well as technological details on the processes of its pretreatment, clarification, and concentration. Physicochemical properties of raw juice of sweet sorghum, as well as purified juice and sirup, are discussed in terms of material pretreatment, methods of clarification and concentration, and storage conditions. Comprehensive theoretical principles, methodological details and explanations of the consistency of sweet sorghum juice processing are given. This work focuses entirely on the relationship between sweet sorghum juice treatment methods and its composition and provides versatile source of information for food science community, farmers, and entrepreneurs.

Fouling of Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Nanofiltration (NF) Membranes by Low Molecular Weight Organic Compounds (LMWOCs), Part 1: Fundamentals and Mechanism

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) are ubiquitous technologies in modern water treatment, finding applications across various sectors. However, the availability of high-quality water suitable for RO/NF feed is diminishing due to droughts caused by global warming, increasing demand, and water pollution. As concerns grow over the depletion of precious freshwater resources, a global movement is gaining momentum to utilize previously overlooked or challenging water sources, collectively known as "marginal water". Fouling is a serious concern when treating marginal water. In RO/NF, biofouling, organic and colloidal fouling, and scaling are particularly problematic. Of these, organic fouling, along with biofouling, has been considered difficult to manage. The major organic foulants studied are natural organic matter (NOM) for surface water and groundwater and effluent organic matter (EfOM) for municipal wastewater reuse. Polymeric substances such as sodium alginate, humic acid, and proteins have been used as model substances of EfOM. Fouling by low molecular weight organic compounds (LMWOCs) such as surfactants, phenolics, and plasticizers is known, but there have been few comprehensive reports. This review aims to shed light on fouling behavior by LMWOCs and its mechanism. LMWOC foulants reported so far are summarized, and the role of LMWOCs is also outlined for other polymeric membranes, e.g., UF, gas separation membranes, etc. Regarding the mechanism of fouling, it is explained that the fouling is caused by the strong interaction between LMWOC and the membrane, which causes the water permeation to be hindered by LMWOCs adsorbed on the membrane surface (surface fouling) and sorbed inside the membrane pores (internal fouling). Adsorption amounts and flow loss caused by the LMWOC fouling were well correlated with the octanol-water partition coefficient (log P). In part 2, countermeasures to solve this problem and applications using the LMWOCs will be outlined.

Coupling Low-Frequency Ultrasound to a Crossflow Microfiltration Pilot: Effect of Ultrasonic Pulse Application on Sono-Microfiltration of Jackfruit Juice

To reduce membrane fouling during the processing of highly pulpy fruit juices into clarified beverages, a crossflow Sono-Microfiltration (SMF) system was employed, strategically equipped with an ultrasonic probe for the direct application of low-frequency ultrasound (LFUS) to the juice just before the entrance to the ceramic membrane. Operating conditions were standardized, and the application of LFUS pulses in both corrective and preventive modes was investigated. The effect of SMF on the physicochemical properties and the total soluble phenol (TSP) content of the clarified juice was also evaluated. The distance of ultrasonic energy irradiation guided the selection of the LFUS probe. Amplitude conditions and ultrasonic pulses were more effective in the preventive mode and did not cause membrane damage, reducing the operation time of jackfruit juice by up to 50% and increasing permeability by up to 81%. The SMF did not alter the physicochemical parameters of the clarified juice, and the measured LFUS energy ranges did not affect the TSP concentration during the process. This study is the first to apply LFUS directly to the feed stream in a pilot-scale crossflow microfiltration system to reduce the fouling of ceramic membranes and maintain bioactive compounds in jackfruit juice.

Removal of Cu (II) by ion exchange resin and its re-utilization of the residual solution from the distilled Lycium barbarum wine

In order to re-utilize the residual from the distillation of the Chinese wolfberry wine and reduce the environmental pollution, the residual is firstly filtered by the ceramic membrane of 50 nm, then the Cu (II) has transferred from the distillation is removed using the ion exchange resin, and the treated solution is recombined with the distilled liquor to make the Chinese wolfberry brandy and the comparison has conducted on the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity and flavor compounds between the recombined brandy and the finished brandy. The results indicate that the Cu (II) was effectively removed by ceramic membrane combined with the D401 resin. Compared with finished brandy, the recombined brandy contains high contents of polysaccharides, phenols and flavonoids, thus contributing to the improvement of antioxidant capacity. The gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) reveals that 25 volatile compounds like esters and alcohols have identified in the brandy samples, and the differences are significant between the recombined and the finished brandy. In summary, the distilled residual from the Chinese wolfberry wine might be re-used after the appropriate treatment so as to reduce the discharge and environmental pollution.

Membrane distillation assisting food production processes of thermally sensitive food liquid items: a review

Physical separation technologies have become important tool for processing in the current food manufacturing industries, especially for the products containing bioactive compounds thanks to their health benefits in costumers. As for the processing of bioactive food ingredients implies the implementation of integrated systems oriented to their separation, fractionation, and recovery. In this field, membrane distillation (MD), which is a thermally driven membrane process, has been proposed as an alternative for the separation and concentration of liquid food items. In principle, MD can separate water and volatile compounds from aqueous feed solutions through a permeate that passes across microporous hydrophobic membranes. The separation via MD is thanks to the vapor pressure difference on both membrane sides. In this review, we analyzed the ongoing experimental efforts aimed to recover and purify food bioactive compounds from the concentration of fruit juices and extracts using MD. Also, the processing of dairy products, concentration of food by-products, and ethanol production and its removal from beverages using MD have been reviewed. Additionally, a feedback on the distinct membrane module configurations and membrane requirements for successful operation is addressed.

An analytical approach to determine the health benefits and health risks of consuming berry juices

Food products composition analysis is a prerequisite for verification of product quality, fulfillment of regulatory enforcements, checking compliance with national and international food standards, contracting specifications, and nutrient labeling requirements and providing quality assurance for use of the product for the supplementation of other foods. These aspects also apply to the berry fruit and berry juice. It also must be noted that even though fruit juices are generally considered healthy, there are many risks associated with mishandling both fruits and juices themselves. The review gathers information related with the health benefits and risk associated with the consumption of berry fruit juices. Moreover, the focus was paid to the quality assurance of berry fruit juice. Thus, the analytical methods used for determination of compounds influencing the sensory and nutritional characteristics of fruit juice as well as potential contaminants or adulterations.

Green and Sustainable Membranes: A review

Membranes are ubiquitous tools for modern water treatment technology that critically eliminate hazardous materials such as organic, inorganic, heavy metals, and biomedical pollutants. Nowadays, nano-membranes are of particular interest for myriad applications such as water treatment, desalination, ion exchange, ion concentration control, and several kinds of biomedical applications. However, this state-of-the-art technology suffers from some drawbacks, e.g., toxicity and fouling of contaminants, which makes the synthesis of green and sustainable membranes indeed safety-threatening. Typically, sustainability, non-toxicity, performance optimization, and commercialization are concerns centered on manufacturing green synthesized membranes. Thus, critical issues related to toxicity, biosafety, and mechanistic aspects of green-synthesized nano-membranes have to be systematically and comprehensively reviewed and discussed. Herein we evaluate various aspects of green nano-membranes in terms of their synthesis, characterization, recycling, and commercialization aspects. Nanomaterials intended for nano-membrane development are classified in view of their chemistry/synthesis, advantages, and limitations. Indeed, attaining prominent adsorption capacity and selectivity in green-synthesized nano-membranes requires multi-objective optimization of a number of materials and manufacturing parameters. In addition, the efficacy and removal performance of green nano-membranes are analyzed theoretically and experimentally to provide researchers and manufacturers with a comprehensive image of green nano-membrane efficiency under real environmental conditions.

Recent Developments of Membrane Technology in the Clarification and Concentration of Fruit Juices

Fruit juices are traditionally processed thermally to avoid microorganisms’ growth and increase their shelf-life. The concentration of juices by thermal evaporation is carried out to reduce their volume and consequently the storage and transportation costs. However, many studies revealed that the high-temperature operation destroys many valuable nutrients and the aroma of the juice. Currently, membrane technology has emerged as an alternative to conventional processes to clarify and concentrate fruit juices due to its ability to improve juices’ safety, quality, and nutritional values. Low-cost, low-energy requirement, and minimal footprint make membrane technology an attractive choice for industrial adoption. The low-temperature operation that preserves the nutritional and sensorial quality of the juice can fulfill the market demand for healthy juice products. In this review, the pressure-driven membrane processes, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis; osmotic distillation; membrane distillation; and forward osmosis that have been widely investigated in recent years, are discussed.

Application of Membrane Filtration to Cold Sterilization of Drinks and Establishment of Aseptic Workshop

Aseptic packaging of high quality beverage is necessary and its cold-pasteurization or sterilization is vital. Studies on application of ultrafiltration or microfiltration membrane to cold- pasteurization or sterilization for the aseptic packaging of beverages have been reviewed. Designing and manufacturing ultrafiltration or microfiltration membrane systems for cold-pasteurization or sterilization of beverage are based on the understanding of size of microorganisms and theoretical achievement of filtration. It is concluded that adaptability of membrane filtration, especially its combination with other safe cold method, to cold- pasteurization and sterilization for the aseptic packaging of beverages should be assured without a shadow of doubt in future.

Red Fruit Juice Concentration by Osmotic Distillation: Optimization of Operating Conditions by Response Surface Methodology

Osmotic distillation (OD) was implemented at laboratory scale to concentrate a red fruit juice produced from a blend of blood orange, prickly pear, and pomegranate juice. The raw juice was clarified by microfiltration and then concentrated by using an OD plant equipped with a hollow fiber membrane contactor. The clarified juice was recirculated on the shell side of the membrane module, while calcium chloride dehydrate solutions, used as extraction brine, were recirculated on the lumen side in a counter-current mode. The influence of different process parameters, such as brine concentration (20, 40, and 60% w/w), juice flow rate (0.3, 2.0, and 3.7 L min^-1), and brine flow rate (0.3, 2.0, and 3.7 L min^-1) on the performance of the OD process in terms of evaporation flux and increase in juice concentration, was investigated according to the response surface methodology (RSM). From the regression analysis, the evaporation flux and juice concentration rate were expressed with quadratic equations of juice and brine flow rates, as well as the brine concentration. The desirability function approach was applied to analyse the regression model equations in order to maximize the evaporation flux and juice concentration rate. The optimal operating conditions were found to be 3.32 L min^-1 brine flow rate, 3.32 L min^-1 juice flow rate, and an initial brine concentration of 60% w/w. Under these conditions, the average evaporation flux and the increase in the soluble solid content of the juice resulted in 0.41 kg m^-2 h^-1 and 12.0 °Brix, respectively. Experimental data on evaporation flux and juice concentration, obtained in optimized operating conditions, resulted in good agreement with the predicted values of the regression model.

Effects and impacts of technical processing units on the nutrients and functional components of fruit and vegetable juice

Fruit and vegetable juice (FVJ) has become a favorite beverage for all age groups because of its excellent sensory and nutritional qualities. FVJ has a series of health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer. Except for raw materials selection, processing technology and packaging and storage also play a vital role in the nutrition and functional components of FVJ. This review systematically reviews the important research results on the relationship between FVJ processing and its nutrition and function in the past 10 years. Based on the brief elucidation of the nutrition and health benefits of FVJ and the unit operation involved in the production process, the influence of a series of key technology units, including pretreatment, clarification, homogenization, concentration, sterilization, drying, fermentation and packaging and storage, on the nutritional function of FVJ was systematically expounded. This contribution provides an update on the impacts of technical processing units on the nutrients and functional components of FVJ and new perspectives for future studies.

Application of Emerging Techniques in Reduction of the Sugar Content of Fruit Juice: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives

In light of the growing interest in products with reduced sugar content, there is a need to consider reducing the natural sugar concentration in juices while preserving the initial concentration of nutritional compounds. This paper reviewed the current state of knowledge related to mixing juices, membrane processes, and enzymatic processes in producing fruit juices with reduced concentrations of sugars. The limitations and challenges of these methods are also reviewed, including the losses of nutritional ingredients in membrane processes and the emergence of side products in enzymatic processes. As the existing methods have limitations, the review also identifies areas that require further improvements and technological innovations.

Bromelain extraction using single stage nanofiltration membrane process

Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) is a tropical fruit having exceptional juiciness, vibrant tropical flavor and immense health benefits. Pineapples are not only taken fresh but they have been commercialized in the canning industry. Morris cultivar is mostly supplied to the canning industry where only the flesh is utilized and the rest of the pineapple (50 wt%) such as the core, stem, peels and crown are discarded as wastes. In the extraction of bromelain which is a vital proteolytic enzyme the whole pineapple including its peels, core, stem and crown can be utilized. This enzyme is very valuable and considered as a food supplement with a wide range of therapeutic benefits. Thus, in this study, bromelain is extracted from the flesh, crown, stem, core and peel of pineapples using simple one stage hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane process. The different parts of the pineapple were crushed to extract the juice. The juice was then centrifuged and the supernatant was then passed through a nanofiltration membrane. Results revealed the retentates from the different pineapple parts contain high amounts of bromelain in descending order flesh > peel > core > crown > stem. The amount of bromelain activity increased after every process especially after freeze drying.

Production of High-Quality Red Fruit Juices by Athermal Membrane Processes

Membrane-based processes are increasingly used to clarify and concentrate thermo-sensitive fruit juices and plant extracts as alternatives to conventional processes. This work aimed to evaluate the quality of red fruit juices clarified and concentrated by an integrated membrane process with special regard to the preservation of valuable compounds. A red fruit juice obtained from a blend of pomegranate, cactus pear, and red orange juices of Sicilian origin was clarified by microfiltration (MF) and then pre-concentrated up to 33 °Brix by nanofiltration (NF). The pre-concentrated juice was finally concentrated by osmotic distillation (OD) up to 50 and 60 °Brix. Samples of clarified, pre-concentrated, and concentrated juice were analyzed for their physico-chemical composition and in terms of the antioxidant activity and inhibitory activity against α-amylase and lipase. The results clearly confirmed the assumption of a mild fruit juice processing method, allowing us to preserve the original nutritional and functional properties of the fresh juice. In particular, the OD retentate at 60 °Brix resulted the most active sample against pancreatic lipase and α-amylase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 44.36 and 214.65 μg/mL, respectively.

Potential impact of ultrasound, pulsed electric field, high-pressure processing and microfludization against thermal treatments preservation regarding sugarcane juice (Saccharum officinarum)

Sugarcane juice (Saccharum officinarum) is a proven nutritious beverage with high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, and other beneficial nutrients. It has recently gained consumer interest due to its high nutritional profile and alkaline nature. Still, high polyphenolic and sugar content start the fermentation in juice, resulting in dark coloration. Lately, some novel techniques have been introduced to extend shelf life and improve the nutritional value of sugarcane juice. The introduction of such processing technologies is beneficial over conventional processes and essential for producing chemical-free, high-quality, fresh juices. The synergistic impact of these novel technologies is also advantageous for preserving sugarcane juice. In literature, novel thermal, non-thermal and hurdle technologies have been executed to preserve sugarcane juice. These technologies include high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), ultrasound (US), pulsed electric field (PEF), ultraviolet irradiation (UV), ohmic heating (OH), microwave (MW), microfludization and ozone treatment. This review manifests the impact of novel thermal, non-thermal, and synergistic technologies on sugarcane juice processing and preservation characteristics. Non-thermal techniques have been successfully proved effective and showed better results than novel thermal treatments. Because they reduced microbial load and retained nutritional content, while thermal treatments degraded nutrients and flavor of sugarcane juice. Among non-thermal treatments, HHP is the most efficient technique for the preservation of sugarcane juice while OH is preferable in thermal techniques due to less nutritional loss.

How to comprehensively improve juice quality: a review of the impacts of sterilization technology on the overall quality of fruit and vegetable juices in 2010-2021, an updated overview and current issues

Fruit and vegetable juices (FVJ) are rich in nutrients, so they easily breed bacteria, which cause microbial pollution and rapid deterioration of their quality and safety. Sterilization is an important operation in FVJ processing. However, regardless of whether thermal sterilization or non-thermal sterilization is used, the effect and its impact on the overall quality of FVJ are strongly dependent on the processing parameters, microbial species, and FVJ matrix. Therefore, for different types of FVJ, an understanding of the impacts that different sterilization technologies have on the overall quality of the juice is important in designing and optimizing technical parameters to produce value-added products. This article provides an overview of the application of thermal and non-thermal technique in the field of FVJ processing over the past 10 years. The operating principle and effects of various technologies on the inactivation of microorganisms and enzymes, nutritional and functional characteristics, physicochemical properties, and sensory quality of a wide range of FVJ are comprehensively discussed. The application of different combinations of hurdle technology in the field of FVJ sterilization processing are also discussed in detail. Additionally, the advantages, limitations, and current application prospects of different sterilization technologies are summarized.

A critical review on diverse technologies for advanced wastewater treatment during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: What do we know?

Advanced wastewater treatment technologies are effective methods and currently attract growing attention, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, for reusing water, reducing water pollution, and explicitly declining, inactivating, or removing SARS-CoV-2. Overall, removing organic matter and micropollutants prior to wastewater reuse is critical, considering that water reclamation can help provide a crop irrigation system and domestic purified water. Advanced wastewater treatment processes are highly recommended for contaminants such as monovalent ions from an abiotic source and SARS-CoV-2 from an abiotic source. This work introduces the fundamental knowledge of various methods in advanced water treatment, including membranes, filtration, Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, ozonation, chlorination, advanced oxidation processes, activated carbon (AC), and algae. Following that, an analysis of each process for organic matter removal and mitigation or prevention of SARS-CoV-2 contamination is discussed. Next, a comprehensive overview of recent advances and breakthroughs is provided for each technology. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed.

A review on pectinase properties, application in juice clarification, and membranes as immobilization support

Pectic substances cause haziness and high viscosity of fruit juices. Pectinase enzymes are biological compounds that degrade pectic compounds. Nontoxicity and ecofriendly nature make pectinases excellent biocatalysts for juice clarification. However, the poor stability and nonreusability of pectinases trim down the effectiveness of the operation. The immobilization techniques have gained the attention of researchers as it augments the properties of the enzymes. Literature has reported the stability improvement of enzymes like lipase, laccase, hydrogen peroxidase, and cellulase upon immobilization on the membrane. However, only a few research articles divulge pectinase immobilization using a membrane. The catalysis-separation synergy of membrane-reactor has put indelible imprints in industrial applications. Immobilization of pectinase on the membrane can enhance its performance in juice processing. This review delineates the importance of physicochemical and kinematic properties of pectinases relating to the juice processing parameters. It also includes the influence of metal-ion cofactors on enzymes' activity. Considering the support and catalytic-separation facets of the membrane, the prediction of the membrane as support for pectinase immobilization has also been carried out.

Novel graphene oxide/polymer composite membranes for the food industry: structures, mechanisms and recent applications

The membrane can not only be used as food packaging, but also for the separation, fractionation and recovery of food ingredients. Graphene oxide (GO) sheets are a two-dimensional (2 D) material with a unique structure that exhibit excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and flexibility. The corporation of polymer matrix membrane with GO can significantly improve the permeability, selectivity, and antibacterial activity. In this review, the chemical structures of GO, GO membranes and GO/polymer composite membranes are introduced, the permeation mechanisms of molecules through the membranes are discussed and key factors affecting the permeability are presented in detail. In addition, recent applications in the food industry for filtration, bioreactions and active food packaging are analyzed, and limitations and future trends of GO membranes development are also highlighted. GO/polymer composite membranes exhibit excellent permeability, selectivity and strong barrier properties against bacterial and gas permeation. However, current food material filtration and packaging applications of GO/polymer composite membranes are still in the laboratory stage. Future work can focus on the development of large scale uniformly sized GO production, the homogeneous distribution and tight combination of GO in polymer matrixes, the sensing function of GO in packaging, and the verification method of GO toxicology.

Current status and future prospects of membrane separation processes for value recovery from wastewater

Resource constraints and deteriorating environment have made it necessary to look for intensification of the industrial processes, to recover value from spent streams for reuse. The development of reverse osmosis has already established that water can be recovered from aqueous streams in a cost-effective and beneficial manner to the industries. With the development of several membrane processes and membrane materials, the possibility of recovering value from the effluents looks like a workable proposition. In this context, the potentialities of the different membrane processes in value recovery are presented. Among the pressure-driven processes, reverse osmosis can be used for the recovery of water as value. Nanofiltration has been used for the recovery of several dyes including crystal violet, congo red, methyl blue, etc., while ultrafiltration has been used in the fractionation of different solute species using membranes of different pore-size characteristics. Diffusion dialysis is found useful in the separation of acids from its salt solutions. Bipolar membrane electrodialysis has the potential to regenerate acid and base from salt solutions. Thermally driven membrane distillation can provide desalinated water, besides reducing the temperature of hot discharge streams. Passive membrane processes such as supported liquid membranes and membrane-assisted solvent extraction have been found useful in separating minor components from the wastewater streams. The details are discussed to drive home that membrane processes can be useful to achieve the objectives of value recovery, in a cost-effective manner through process intensification, as they are more compact and individual streams can be treated and value used seamlessly.

Clean Label “Rocha” Pear (Pyrus communis L.) Snack Containing Juice By-Products and Euglena gracilis Microalgae

“Rocha do Oeste” pear is a Portuguese Protected Designation of Origin variety and one of the country's most relevant fruits for its nutritional value, production area, and exportation amounts. The recent integration of a pilot-scale juice production line brought to SUMOL+COMPAL company the need to characterize the new resulting fractions and value the new by-products. The objective of this work was to value the juice clarification by-products, producing a clean label and fiber-rich snack, in a circular economy rationale, where the secondary products are upcycled back into the food value chain, by creating another food product that includes those by-products. For the above to be possible, the laboratory conditions to produce pear fractions were optimized. After optimizing the puree centrifugation, using response surface methodology (RSM), and optimizing the turbid juice crossflow filtration, the different fractions were characterized in rheological, nutritional, and physical aspects. Comparison to the pulps revealed an increase in the viscosity of the pomace; an enriching effect on the fructose, glucose, and dietary fiber levels in the pomace, and maintenance of the vitamin C levels after centrifugation; and with no effect on the contents of total phenols during the filtration step. A thick pear snack was developed, incorporating retained fraction, inulin, and Euglena gracilis in the pomace, and optimized regarding its firmness and dietary fiber content. The snack characterization revealed an interesting total phenols content (which was maintained from the raw materials). Compared to the snack without microalgae and a commercial fruit snack, the pear snack with E. gracilis was well-accepted by the sensory panel, mainly in texture and appearance, and can be further improved in aroma and flavor. The snack without microalgae was the favorite among the three samples, in most sensory parameters, and never got the answer “I'm sure I wouldn't buy it.” Therefore, an innovative, clean label and plant-based snack was developed, in a circular economy rationale, which was relatively well-appreciated by the panel. This snack is rich in dietary fiber, having the possibility of presenting various nutritional claims, and the potential for easy sensory optimization.

Treatment of soy sauce wastewater with biomimetic dynamic membrane for colority removal and chemical oxygen demand lowering

Soy sauce wastewater has been produced in soy sauce production and consumption. To reuse this kind of water resource, the chemical oxygen demand (COD), colority should be removed or lowered. Biomimetic dynamic membrane (BDM), GO&Laccase@UF membrane, was prepared by filtering mixture of graphene oxide (GO) and laccase through ultrafiltration (UF) membrane. Compared to UF membrane, the prepared BDM showed great performance in removal of COD and colority, due to the higher laccase activity with existence of GO. The removal rate of colority reached ~80% by one step filtration operation. Moreover, the multiple cycle test evidenced that the value of COD and colority in the permeate after 5 consecutive cycles with the same GO&Laccase@UF membrane still meet the standard for reuse water. This work indicates the promising of BDM for wastewater from food industry.

A comprehensive review on the synthesis and applications of ion exchange membranes

Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) are undergoing prosperous development in recent years. More than 30,000 papers which are indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) have been published on IEMs during the past twenty years (2001-2020). Especially, more than 3000 papers are published in the year of 2020, revealing researchers' great interest in this area. This paper firstly reviews the different types (e.g., cation exchange membrane, anion exchange membrane, proton exchange membrane, bipolar membrane) and electrochemical properties (e.g., permselectivity, electrical resistance/ionic conductivity) of IEMs and the corresponding working principles, followed by membrane synthesis methods, including the common solution casting method. Especially, as a promising future direction, green synthesis is critically discussed. IEMs are extensively applied in various applications, which can be generalized into two big categories, where the water-based category mainly includes electrodialysis, diffusion dialysis and membrane capacitive deionization, while the energy-based category mainly includes reverse electrodialysis, fuel cells, redox flow battery and electrolysis for hydrogen production. These applications are comprehensively discussed in this paper. This review may open new possibilities for the future development of IEMs.

Blueberry juice: Bioactive compounds, health impact, and concentration technologies-A review

Blueberries are a popular fruit with an attractive flavor and color, as well as health benefits. These health benefits have been attributed to the important number of bioactive compounds in blueberries with activities such as antioxidant, antitumor, antimutagenic, and antidiabetic effects and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Despite these advantages, blueberries are only obtained fresh in certain seasons; therefore, the food and beverage industry transforms them into jelly, puree, or juice. However, the concentration process could help preserve the bioactive compounds of blueberry byproducts. Concentration technologies focus on the removal of excess water to increase the product stability and reduce storage and transportation costs by causing them to take up less space or as a pretreatment before dehydration. These technologies include evaporation, reverse osmosis, and freeze concentration, and each one has different effects on the efficiency, quality, and nutritional value of the final concentrates. However, freeze concentration and reverse osmosis produce a higher-final quality concentrate than evaporation due to the use of low temperatures, which prevents the loss of thermolabile components such as bioactive compounds. Therefore, this review summarizes the impact of concentration technologies on the bioactive compounds and health benefits of blueberry juice.

Cacao Pod Husk Extract Phenolic Nanopowder-Impregnated Cellulose Acetate Matrix for Biofouling Control in Membranes

The ultrafiltration membrane process is widely used for fruit juice clarification, yet the occurring of fouling promotes a decline in process efficiency. To reduce the fouling potential in the membrane application in food processing, the use of natural phenolic compounds extracted from cocoa pod husk is investigated. The cocoa pod husk extract (CPHE) was prepared in phenolic nanoparticles form and added into the polymer solution at varying concentrations of 0.5 wt%, 0.75 wt%, and 1.0 wt%, respectively. The composite membrane was made of a cellulose acetate polymer using DMF (dimethylformamide) and DMAc (dimethylacetamide) solvents. The highest permeability of 2.34 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ was achieved by 1.0 wt% CPHE/CA prepared with the DMAc solvent. CPHE was found to reduce the amount of Escherichia coli attached to the membranes by 90.5% and 70.8% for membranes prepared with DMF and DMAc, respectively. It is concluded that CPHE can be used to control biofouling in the membrane for food applications.

Underutilized Northern plant sources and technological aspects for recovering their polyphenols

Consumers worldwide are increasingly interested in the authenticity and naturalness of products. At the same time, the food, agricultural and forest industries generate large quantities of sidestreams that are not effectively utilized. However, these raw materials are rich and inexpensive sources of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. The exploitation of these raw materials increases income for producers and processors, while reducing transportation and waste management costs. Many Northern sidestreams and other underutilized raw materials are good sources of polyphenols. These include berry, apple, vegetable, softwood, and rapeseed sidestreams, as well as underutilized algae species. Berry sidestreams are especially good sources of various phenolic compounds. This chapter presents the properties of these raw materials, providing an overview of the techniques for refining these materials into functional polyphenol-rich ingredients. The focus is on economically and environmentally sound technologies suitable for the pre-treatment of the raw materials, the modification and recovery of the polyphenols, as well as the formulation and stabilization of the ingredients. For example, sprouting, fermentation, and enzyme technologies, as well as various traditional and novel extraction methods are discussed. Regarding the extraction technologies, this chapter focuses on safe and green technologies that do not use organic solvents. In addition, formulation and stabilization that aim to protect isolated polyphenols during storage and extend shelflife are reviewed. The formulated polyphenol-rich ingredients produced from underutilized renewable resources could be used as sustainable, active ingredients--for example, in food and nutraceutical industries.