(57b) Extraction of Bromelain from Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) Using Membrane Filtration

Institute of Bioproduct Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Institute of Bioproduct Development, Department of Bioprocess and Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia;

*Corresponding author. Email: ani@cheme.utm.my Tel: +60197776054 Fax: +6075588166

Abstract

Pineapple (Ananas Comosus) is a tropical fruit that is rich with bromelain enzyme. Bromelain, an important industrial proteolytic enzyme and commercially known can be extracted from pineapple stem. However, bromelain is also reported to be present in the core, crown, flesh and peel of pineapple fruit. Demand for bromelain is growing because of its application in various industries especially in the food, cosmetics and medical fields. Membrane technology is an attractive technique for bromelain enzyme extraction from pineapple. This review highlights the achievement on bromelain extraction using membrane filtration. Specifically, the purification and biochemical properties of bromelain are discussed. The membrane process is considered as a more attractive purification technology compared to the other processing methods since it offers major advantages in high throughput of product, easy to scale up, environmental friendly and cost effective. Studies on the usage of membrane technology particularly by microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) for bromelain extraction either as a single process or being coupled with other techniques have been successfully reported. Currently, nanofiltration (NF) membrane becomes a headline in membrane technology. Extraction of bromelain can be done using single step NF membrane and offers a promising yield of bromelain enzyme activity.