Nanofiltration Membrane Concentration Technology for Energy-Saving and High-Purity Dairy Processing Abstract

The global dairy industry is shifting toward energy-saving production, high-purity ingredients, and customized functional dairy products. Traditional dairy concentration processes relying on multi-effect evaporation and ultrafiltration single-stage separation face common drawbacks including high energy consumption, inaccurate interception of small molecular nutrients, and uncontrollable mineral content, limiting the quality upgrade of milk base materials, whey products, and functional dairy ingredients. As a precise pressure-driven membrane separation technology, nanofiltration (NF) membrane technology features unique molecular sieving and selective desalination functions, which can efficiently concentrate dairy raw liquids while removing excess monovalent salts and impurities. This paper systematically introduces the working principle, technical characteristics, industrial process, and practical application value of nanofiltration membrane systems in dairy processing. Compared with tr