Cellulose acetate membrane filtration effect on particle size distribution of golden delicious apple juice: Experimental validation of a simulation model

Juice filtration through membranes is becoming an important technology due to its capacity to keep high quality and sensorial characteristics. In the process, the particle size of the feed and the pore size of the membrane give important information about the characteristics and stabilization of the filtered juice. In this work we present the validation of a previously reported novel computational model used to describe two apple juice filtration systems. Experimental data on the filtration of Golden Delicious (GD) apple juice after two different pre-filtration treatments was obtained and the effect on particle size distribution was studied. The experimental data was compared to the simulation results in which the final mean particle size of filtered juices is determined knowing the pore size distribution of the membrane and the feed particle size distribution. According to the simulated values, the model is valid as a first attempt to provide criteria for membrane selection in the filtration of apple juice as there was a good correlation of the process with the model parameters. The results also show that simulation modeling and analysis are important emerging tools that can be used throughout the process industries including food processing.

Keywords: Apple juice, filtration, membrane, model, validation.