Preliminary Studies of Microfiltration for Food Processing Water Reuse ¹

Microfiltration of poultry scalder and chiller water and frankfurter chiller brine was examined in limited tests and found to produce permeates that may be recycled to the original systems. All permeates achieved turbidity readings of less than 50 NTU, with many less than 1 NTU, and all had plate counts of less than 10 microorganisms per ml. Except for brine, waters were filtered at the highest known plant operating temperatures. After 90 min of operation, flux rates as high as 110-440 L/m²h were achieved, depending on the water and filter conditions used. Flux rates were restored by as little as 15 min of in-line cleaning at 78-80°C with a detergent solution. Major advantages for the process are: (a) substantial energy savings through reuse of previously heated or cooled waters, (b) reduced disposal costs, especially through brine reuse, and (c) possible byproduct recovery of protein and fat concentrated in poultry retentate waters.