Bromelain extraction using single stage nanofiltration membrane process

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biotechnology
• Enzyme Technology

Background:

• Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) is a tropical fruit widely consumed fresh and commercially processed.
• The canning industry primarily uses pineapple flesh, discarding up to 50% of the fruit (core, stem, peels, crown) as waste.
• Bromelain, a valuable proteolytic enzyme with therapeutic benefits, can be extracted from the entire pineapple.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extract bromelain from all parts of the pineapple, including waste fractions.
• To evaluate the efficacy of a simple one-stage hollow fiber nanofiltration process for bromelain extraction.
• To determine the distribution of bromelain content across different pineapple parts.

Main Methods:

• Pineapple parts (flesh, crown, stem, core, peel) were processed to extract juice.
• Juice was centrifuged, and the supernatant was subjected to hollow fiber nanofiltration.
• Bromelain activity in the retentates from different parts was analyzed.

Main Results:

• Bromelain was successfully extracted from all tested pineapple parts.
• The order of bromelain content in retentates was flesh > peel > core > crown > stem.
• Bromelain activity significantly increased following freeze-drying.

Conclusions:

• All pineapple parts, including waste materials, are viable sources for bromelain extraction.
• Nanofiltration is an effective method for concentrating bromelain from pineapple juice.
• Further processing, such as freeze-drying, enhances bromelain activity.