Jin Jue, Yurkow Edward J, Adler Derek, Lee Tung-Ching
Department of Food Science, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey , 65 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United States.
Molecular Imaging Center, Rutgers Translational Sciences, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey , 41 Gordon Road, Suite D, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States.
J Agric Food Chem. 2017 Mar 22;65(11):2373-2382. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03710. Epub 2017 Mar 9.
Freeze concentration is a separation process with high success in product quality. The remaining challenge is to achieve high efficiency with low cost. This study aims to evaluate the potential of using ice nucleation proteins (INPs) as an effective method to improve the efficiency of block freeze concentration while also exploring the related mechanism of ice morphology. Our results show that INPs are able to significantly improve the efficiency of block freeze concentration in a desalination model. Using this experimental system, we estimate that approximately 50% of the energy cost can be saved by the inclusion of INPs in desalination cycles while still meeting the EPA standard of drinking water (<500 ppm). Our investigative tools for ice morphology include optical microscopy and X-ray computed tomography imaging analysis. Their use indicates that INPs promote the development of a lamellar structured ice matrix with larger hydraulic diameters, which facilitates brine drainage and contains less brine entrapment as compared to control samples. These results suggest great potential for applying INPs to develop an energy-saving freeze concentration method via the alteration of ice morphology.
冷冻浓缩是一种在产品质量方面取得高度成功的分离过程。剩下的挑战是如何以低成本实现高效率。本研究旨在评估使用冰核蛋白（INPs）作为提高块状冷冻浓缩效率的有效方法的潜力，同时探索冰形态的相关机制。我们的结果表明，在脱盐模型中，冰核蛋白能够显著提高块状冷冻浓缩的效率。使用该实验系统，我们估计在脱盐循环中加入冰核蛋白可节省约50%的能源成本，同时仍符合美国环保署（EPA）的饮用水标准（<500 ppm）。我们用于研究冰形态的工具包括光学显微镜和X射线计算机断层扫描成像分析。这些工具的使用表明，冰核蛋白促进了具有更大水力直径的层状结构冰基质的形成，与对照样品相比，这有利于盐水排放且包含更少的盐水截留。这些结果表明，通过改变冰形态应用冰核蛋白开发节能冷冻浓缩方法具有巨大潜力。
