Ultrafiltration Membrane Technology for Polypeptide and Protein Hydrolysate Purification

In the production of animal and plant protein peptides, raw materials are decomposed into mixed hydrolysate through enzymatic hydrolysis. The crude polypeptide liquid contains not only target small-molecule active peptides, but also a large number of undegraded macromolecular proteins, denatured colloids, suspended impurities and enzyme residues. If these impurities are not removed in time, they will cause liquid turbidity, poor product solubility and unstable shelf quality, greatly reducing the added value of finished polypeptide powder and functional protein products.

Traditional polypeptide purification processes have obvious technical limitations. Alcohol precipitation easily causes peptide denaturation and low recovery rate, and produces large amounts of organic waste liquid. Vacuum thermal concentration leads to high-temperature damage of heat-sensitive active peptides, resulting in decreased activity and poor product taste. Conventional filtration equipment can only remove large particles but cannot separate macromolecular heteroproteins, making it difficult to achieve high-purity polypeptide refining.

Cross-flow ultrafiltration membrane separation technology thoroughly solves the above industry pain points. With accurate molecular weight cutoff design, the membrane system precisely intercepts invalid macromolecular proteins and colloidal impurities, allowing small-molecule polypeptide active substances to pass through smoothly. The entire purification and concentration process is carried out at room temperature without heating, chemical addition or phase change, completely protecting the biological activity of polypeptide ingredients.

Adopting continuous cross-flow circulating operation, the material liquid continuously scours the membrane surface, effectively inhibiting colloid deposition and membrane fouling, maintaining long-term stable filtration flux and production continuity. While improving polypeptide purity and liquid clarity, the membrane system realizes low-temperature concentration, removes excess water, reduces subsequent drying load and greatly saves energy consumption compared with traditional evaporators.

This technology is widely applicable to fish collagen peptide, soybean peptide, whey peptide and various enzymatic protein hydrolysate refining processes. Membrane equipment supports fully automatic 24-hour continuous production, reduces manual operation errors and eliminates disposable filter material waste. Enterprises can adjust membrane molecular weight cutoff, operating pressure and flow rate according to product grading standards to realize flexible purification and concentration.

After membrane refining, the polypeptide liquid features high purity, light color, good solubility and stable activity, effectively avoiding precipitation and layering of finished products during storage. The modular skid-mounted membrane system can be customized for different production scales, providing stable, green and low-consumption refining solutions for modern biological functional ingredient production lines.