Improved isolation of bioactive components of bovine colostrum using cross‐flow microfiltration

Bovine colostrum contains bioactive components such as growth factors, immunoglobulins and antimicrobial factors. As conventional heat treatment methods inactivate these valuable components, cross-flow microfiltration (MF) seems to be a promising option for the processing of bovine colostrum. A series of cross-flow MF experiments with tubular ceramic membranes of various pore sizes and geometries were conducted. MF with pore sizes of 0.8 and 1.4m resulted in a 5.4- and 3.5-log reduction of the microbial content, respectively. Applying 0.14- and 0.2-m membranes lead to a permeate that was almost free from micro-organisms and casein. However, the maximum transmission of whey protein into the permeate was only 33%.