Electroactivation of Whey in Continuous Regime

CZU 637.344.2 (637.024), 637.344.8

DOI  https://doi.org/10.52577/eom.2025.61.6.47

The study demonstrates that the electroactivation of whey, carried out in a continuous regime in various electrolyzers, is one of the important stages in the chain of development of a wasteless, environmentally friendly technology for the recovery of whey proteins into complexes called protein-mineral concentrates. The regime of whey and anode liquid supply, the design and geometry of the used electrolyzers, the variation of electrical parameters, in particular, the specific energy consumption per unit volume, temperature changes as well as the values of pH and redox potential and biochemical changes of the solids and protein composition of whey, are among the main components in the development of technology at the industrial scale. It has been established that the specific energy consumption per unit volume at the processing with a semi-cylindrical electrolyzer (EDC-3) is significantly lower compared to the electroactivation of whey in the EDP-2 electrolyzer with a parallelepiped casing, due to a higher capacity of the electrolyzer and an increased concentration of calcium ions. However, it is higher in the case of processing in the slotted electrolyzer (EDP-5), nearly twice as high. Studies on the changes of the parameters mentioned above during the electroactivation of whey led to the development of a slot-type electrolyzer with a semi-cylindrical body for continuous processing.

Keywords: electroactivation, electrolyzers, secondary dairy products, whey proteins, constructive and geometrical parameters.