How we help the food industry in separation technologies innovation
We help companies to:
- develop cost effective and environmentally sustainable separation solutions to extract, separate and purify valuable ingredients from agri-food streams
- add value to dairy, horticulture and meat industry co-product streams through the extraction and separation of bioactive and functional molecules
- decolourise and demineralise food streams
- concentrate liquid streams (dewater) using forward osmosis as a cost effective and sustainable alternative technology to thermal evaporation
- achieve significant gains in oil yield using a CSIRO-patented high frequency ultrasonics process
- scale up separation technologies and processes from laboratory to pilot scale to commercialisation.
Advanced separations case study: Murray Goulburn Cooperative
Milk is an extremely healthy cocktail of functional molecules and bioactives. Furthermore, milk can offer dairy manufacturers increased value by separating its various constituents into functional ingredients. This transformation of dairy from commodity product into higher value specialist ingredients requires cost effective technology that maintains product functional properties during processing. This is possible using a form of simulated moving bed chromatography, continuous separation or CSEP, a separations technology adapted by CSIRO and Murray Goulburn Coop Ltd for these applications.
Murray Goulburn, Australia’s largest dairy company, worked with CSIRO scientists to develop and commercialise CSEP processes to manufacture high value dairy protein ingredients such as whey protein isolates and the bioactive, lactoferrin. The company was able to treble its cheese production each year and commercialise protein ingredients from the by-product streams. These ingredients are now used in valuable manufactured products such as the billion dollar sports foods and beverages and meal replacement markets in North America and in infant formula.
Our key resources in advanced separations available to industry
Key CSIRO capability available for industry includes:
- scientific and engineering expertise to develop and scale up separation technologies and processes
- chromatographic and membrane systems to develop separation strategies
- pilot scale simulated moving bed chromatography system (CSEP technology)
- laboratory and pilot scale membrane systems including:
- microfiltration (stainless steel, ceramic and polymeric)
- ultrafiltration
- reverse osmosis
- forward osmosis
- high frequency ultrasonic plates from 400 – 2000 kHz
- purpose designed batch and flow through chambers
- lab to small production scale
- analytical capability
- HPLC
- UPLC
- capillary electrophoresis.
To discuss innovation opportunities in advanced separation technologies for your business, contact
Dr Regine Stockmann
Principal Research Scientist/Engineer / Team Leader (AGRICULTURE & FOOD)
Regine is an experienced engineer and scientist in process and functional product development for the food and related industries. Regine specialises in separations processing.