Final Filtration for Microbial Stabilization

Filtration is a key unit operation in cider production to ensure clear, bright, and stable products. While clarification, stabilization, and pre-filtration stages remove particles and haze, and reduce yeast and bacteria, final membrane filtration is critical to remove spoilage organisms that can result in off-flavors or re-fermentation after bottling.

Pall’s recommended membrane filters are laboratory challenge tested to qualify or determine typical retention against microorganisms. Furthermore, these final filters are fully integrity testable in situ, providing assurance of product performance.

In addition to standard filter cartridge configurations, Pall recently introduced a new high area, high flow membrane filter solution, the Imperium MSB filter, that is designed to improve costs, flexibility, and process security.

Supor® Beverage Filter

Supor Beverage filter cartridges are hydrophilic membrane filters designed for reliable retention of spoilage microorganisms for final membrane filtration prior to packaging. The product family comes in two grades 0.45 micron and 0.65 micron.

The cartridge is constructed from one layer of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane in a laid-over pleat configuration. The single open ended (SOE) configuration is designed to fit into sanitary housings to ensure effective microbial reduction and assembly integrity.

Supor Beverage filter cartridges are suitable for exposure to repeated hot water sanitization and in situ steam sterilization cycles for longer service life. The laid-over pleat configuration combined with optimized support and drainage materials provide increased mechanical strength during operation, repeated hot water, chemical, and steam sanitization and thus, high throughput.

For mid and large producers and bottlers, Pall offers the Oenofil system.  This system utilizes Pall’s extensive experience in cartridge filtration to automate filtration and optimize cartridge filter life.

The Oenofil System

Controlling the filtration process is a key element in achieving a quality product. The Pall Oenofil system is an automated filtration system designed specifically for pre and final filtration prior to bottling.  The Oenofil system combines years of process filtration experience, advanced automation, and superior cartridge technology to provide cold microbiological stabilization with the highest level of process control, security, and brand protection.

Optimal filtration flow rate, selection of cost-saving pre-filtration, and installation of microorganism-qualified filters are all critical factors for successful microfiltration. However, proper rinsing, cleaning, and sanitization to ensure complete system hygiene are just as critical. The Oenofil automated cartridge filtration system design incorporates these principles.

With Pall’s experience in filtration and understanding of how each stage is interrelated, our Oenofil system enables bottlers to reduce final membrane filtration costs without sacrificing quality. Streamlining filtration, rinsing, and sanitization with optimized protocols can provide up to 30% increased filter service life. Additionally, the flexible working sequences can be combined for cycle programming allowing unattended system operation for reduced labor and downtime.

Depending on the individual customer circumstances, the Oenofil system can be equipped with a Clean in Place (CIP) system to provide proper cleaning, sanitization, and storage at the recommended flow rates, chemical concentrations, and temperatures. This system, if required, can also control downstream washing and sanitization of the filler and auxiliary equipment, like the bottle washer, for complete process control via a single interface and operation independent of the winery conditions.