Advanced Curd Whey Purification in Milk Sugar Production

Cottage cheese whey is a highly acidic by-product of curd production. As a result, its industrial processing is quite complex. If intensified, membrane processes can improve the quality of curd whey purification. This article introduces a new method for purifying curd whey before membrane filtration. It included deoxidation and partial precipitation of proteins by reagents. The reagents were represented by calcium oxide powder (0.26% whey weight) and a 20% ammonium carbonate solution (0.6 g/L). The method made it possible to clarify and deoxidize curd whey, increasing its quality and reducing the protein content. The active acidity decreased while the pH rose from 4.53 to 6.03. The new method proved commercially feasible as a preparatory stage to increase the efficiency of membrane processing.