Collagen peptide is obtained by processing collagen through steps such as raw material pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, crude extraction, decolorization, deodorization, fine filtration, evaporation concentration, and spray drying. The molecular weight of collagen peptide ranges from 200 to 1000 daltons. In the cosmetics industry, collagen tripeptide (glycine-proline-hydroxyproline) is commonly used.
Membrane filtration is applied in multiple steps of collagen peptide preparation, including clarification of the enzymatic solution, decolorization and deodorization, grading and concentration.
The mainstream methods for de-coloring and de-smoking collagen peptide are the activated carbon method and membrane filtration method.
The removal of color and odor by activated carbon mainly relies on its adsorption and retention of small-polarity pigments and organic amine substances. In industry, activated carbon was the first to be used for color removal and odor elimination. However, due to the water solubility of pigments and odor-causing substances, in order to achieve satisfactory color removal results, up to 5-10% of activated carbon needs to be used for treatment, and even secondary activated carbon treatment is required. Due to the harsh operating conditions and the danger of the waste activated carbon as a hazardous waste, the activated carbon method for color and odor removal has gradually been partially replaced or even completely replaced by other methods.
Membrane filtration for decolorization and deodorization is gradually replacing the activated carbon method, especially in the preparation of water-soluble products such as collagen peptides, oligopeptides, and oligosaccharides, where it has been widely applied.
The membrane filtration method for decolorization and deodorization mainly relies on the pore size retention and specific adsorption of the membrane. By selecting appropriate precision ultrafiltration membranes or nanofiltration membranes to retain the collagen protein that has not been fully enzymatically hydrolyzed, as well as large molecules of pigments and odor-causing substances, and allowing the molecules with smaller molecular weights of collagen protein peptides to pass through, a basically colorless filtrate is obtained. The pigment removal rate is over 95%. Moreover, the partially unhydrolyzed protein does not contain other solid impurities and can be directly recovered for further enzymatic hydrolysis, ultimately increasing the yield of collagen protein peptides.
For the separation and purification of food, pharmaceutical and health care materials, Wuhan Bona has accumulated a large amount of separation and purification technologies as well as industrialization engineering experience. It has significant advantages in solving customers' process problems.
An increasing number of production enterprises are adopting ceramic ultrafiltration membranes, organic ultrafiltration membranes, and organic nanofiltration membranes, which have significantly increased the content, purity and yield of collagen peptide, reduced the operational intensity, and alleviated the environmental pressure.
Advantages of membrane filtration:
Carried out at normal temperature, with mild conditions and without component degradation, it is particularly suitable for heat-sensitive substances.
2. Pure physical filtration, without phase change or chemical reaction, without damaging the active ingredients;
3. High filtration accuracy, uniform pore size distribution, enabling the purification and concentration of active components;
4. The system is simple to operate, has a short process, is easy to clean and maintain.
5. The liquid after membrane treatment is clear and stable in nature, which is conducive to the subsequent processing steps.
6. The system operates in counter-flow mode, requiring no addition of additives and without introducing any new impurities. This effectively resolves the problems of contamination and blockage.
7. The system is designed in a modular manner, making it easy to replace membrane elements. Online cleaning and drainage devices are also designed to reduce labor intensity and production costs, thereby enhancing production efficiency.
8. Made of stainless steel sanitary material, in compliance with QS quality standards;
9. The system is automatically controlled by PLC. The labor intensity is very low. The membrane filtration process takes place in a sealed container, achieving clean production.
10. The membrane filtration element has a large filling area, resulting in a small system footprint. This makes it convenient for technological improvements, expansion or new projects, effectively reducing investment costs and production costs.
