The application of polyelectrolyte in the food industry is a strong clarifying agent and has a great impact on increasing the quality of fruit juice and drinks, etc. Anionic, cationic and neutral polyelectrolyte , which is used in solid or powder and liquid form in this industry, is a strong coagulant and therefore connects fat particles and suspended substances together. Stay with us to learn more about the use of PAM polyacrylamide in the food industry and juice and beverage production, etc.
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What is the application of polyelectrolyte in food industry?
In the process of producing food, juice and various drinks, the quality largely depends on the appearance of the product. For this reason, food and juices should be transparent as much as possible and there should be no suspended particles in them. This is why coagulants that do not have side risks are used in the food production process. Polyelectrolyte or polyacrylamide is one of the polymer materials that can remove and collect suspended and colloidal particles and fats in food and beverages.
In other words, the main application of polyelectrolyte in the food industry is to remove fat particles and suspended substances that do not settle due to their low weight. These particles have charges of the same name and therefore do not connect to each other. The coagulant acts as an intermediary in this field and connects suspended particles and forms heavy layers. For this reason, conditions will be provided for their settling and this can greatly affect the quality of food.
Among other applications of these coagulants in the food industry, we can mention the improvement of the quality of wastewater in different sectors. Food industry effluents contain a large amount of fat and so on, and for this reason their pollution load is at a high level. According to the standards provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, these suspended particles and fats must be purified and destroyed before re-entering nature.
Advantages of using polyelectrolyte in food industry
In the food industry, the type of substances used as coagulants is very important and should not cause negative side effects. The main reasons that have caused polyacrylamide to be used in the food industry are:
- Due to the very high power of these particles in binding suspended particles, a smaller amount of them is used compared to other water purification chemicals . This problem not only affects the reduction of costs, but can also play a role in the healthiness of the final products.
- The speed of coagulation and formation of clots from fat particles and other suspended substances with polyelectrolyte is high, and for this reason, it will not have a negative impact on food production time.
- The amount of sludge and fat clots etc. that are created with these materials is much less than other coagulant materials. For this reason, the produced sludge has a low weight and the costs of draining and dewatering them will be reduced to a great extent.
Performance of polyacrylamide in food industry
Polyelectrolytes are in three types: cationic, anionic and nonionic or neutral, and accordingly they have different applications. The function of these particles in the food production process is as follows:
Neutralization of suspended particles
The reason for the suspension of many small particles in juices and syrups, etc., which are used in the production process of food products, is their electrical charge. The use of polyelectrolyte in the food industry is to neutralize these charges. For example, if the particles have a negative charge, cationic polyacrylamide is used and binds to the particles. These connections will grow and heavy layers will settle.
Bridging between colloidal particles
Another behavior that these polymer materials have is creating a bridge between suspended and colloidal particles. The surface of these polymers has high hanging rings and leads to the attachment of particles to them. Creating a bridge causes the particles to coagulate and thus settle.
Adsorption
Some polyelectrolytes connect colloidal and suspended particles to their surface. By increasing the number of particles attached to the surface of each chain polymer, their weight increases and sedimentation takes place.
The best type of polyelectrolyte in the food industry
One of the most important factors that can increase the benefits of using polyacrylamide in the food industry is choosing the correct type. Anionic and cationic or neutrality of the polyelectrolyte is determined based on the type of suspended particles in the food production process. For example, if there are mineral particles in the desired fluid, the best choice is anionic polyelectrolyte and it is used to remove cationic organic particles. Note that the type of polyacrylamide chosen can have a direct effect on the amount of sludge produced.
Due to the great importance of the suitability of the type of polyelectrolytes on their use in the food industry and the results obtained from them, experts provide free consultation before purchase. All types of polyacrylamide with the highest degree of purity and quality are provided by this collection in bulk and in small quantities and are sent all over Iran. For more information, you can contact sales experts.