Production of Infant Formula Analogs by Membrane Fractionation of Caprine Milk: Effect of Temperature Treatment on Membrane Performance

A two-step-cascade membrane separation by ultrafiltration was performed on caprine milk prepared under different temperature conditions to eliminate beta-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) from the whey fraction. Effects of temperature treatment and membrane pore size on the elimination of β-Lg and retention of alpha-lactalbumin (α-La) were examined to determine the optimum permeate fraction for production of infant formula analogues from caprine milk. The frozen raw caprine milk, with and without prior pasteurization, showed the best membrane separation performance. The permeates obtained from the 800/30 kDa membrane combination showed the optimal results. The infant formula analog produced using the casein and 800/30 kDa-permeate fractions of the treated caprine milk had the closest similarity to human milk with respect to the total protein content (1.3 g/100g), beta-lactoglobulin content (1% 2%), and casein-α-lactalbumin ratio (0.6 0.7). Membrane performance during ultrafiltration of caprine milk was affected by temperature treatment of the milk prior to membrane separation.