PROCESS FOR DEMINERALIZING WHEY AND PRODUCT THEREFROM

• US 20090142459A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Batchelder, Bruce T.
• Application Number:
  US12/326,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20090142459A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/239
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 21/00 Whey; Whey preparations concentration, evaporation or drying A23C1/00; preservation of milk or milk preparations A23C3/00; milk preparations, milk powder or milk powder preparations in which the chemical composition of the milk is modified by non-chemical treatment A23C9/14
• CPC Class Codes: A23C 9/144 by electrical means, e.g. electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: A23J 3/08 Dairy proteins
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2250/54252 Whey protein
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/445 with bipolar membranes; Water splitting

Abstract

A process has been found for demineralizing whey which results in usable by-product streams, comprising softening the whey, and then applying bipolar electrodialysis to the softened whey to recover valuable by-products and product streams, demineralized whey, dilute acid and dilute caustic.

Claims

1. A process for demineralizing whey comprising:

a) softening the whey by use of cationic ion exchange; and

b) subjecting the product of step a to bipolar electodialysis.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the softening removes calcium and magnesium from the whey.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the cationic ion exchange is carried out a temperature of from about 4 to about 50°

C.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the cationic ion exchange is carried out a temperature of from about 10 to about 20°

C.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the demineralization process can result in demineralization up to about 90%.

10. The process of claim 1 which further comprises a concentration step, wherein the whey is concentrated prior to softening.

11. The process of claim 1 which comprises subjecting the whey to an ion exchange polisher subsequent to the bipolar electrodialysis.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the demineralization levels are up to about 95%.

2. The process of claim 2 which results in diluted caustic and acidic byproduct streams.

4. The process of claim 2 wherein the byproduct streams comprise sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid.

8. The process of claim 2 wherein the effluent streams are reused.

9. The process of claim 2 wherein the effluent streams are recycled.

13. A process for demineralizing whey, comprising:

a) concentrating the whey;

b) softening the concentrated whey;

c) subjecting the softened, concentrated whey to bipolar electrodialysis;

d) passing the whey product from c) through an ion exchange polisher to produce the final demineralized whey; and

e) subjecting the demineralized whey of d) to evaporation, drying and bagging.

14. The demineralized whey product produced in accordance with claim 13.

15. A process for desalting and reducing hardness of a product comprising;

a) subjecting the product to an ion exchange process, and

b) subsequently subjecting the results of step a to bipolar deionization.