Hierarchical mesoporous silica materials for separation of functional food ingredients — A review

Abstract

Abstract Recently developed mesoporous silica materials are proposed as adsorbents for the separation of food bioactive molecules, due to their narrow pore size distributions and high surface area. These materials can be synthesised with a variety of porous architectures with uniform pore sizes in the mesoporous range, making them attractive candidates for adsorption of biomacromolecules. Research on these materials to date has largely focused on their synthesis, characterisation and applications in catalysis. However, recent developments in the bioadsorption ability and capacity as well as the aqueous stability of mesoporous materials demonstrate their potential as adsorbents for separations in the food industry. This paper reviews the research in this area and identifies the challenges remaining for the application of these materials in food based separations. Industrial relevance The increasing demand for health-promoting foods is a key driver for the development of highly selective, cost-effective separation technologies for food bioactive molecules. Separation and purification stages in industrial biotechnology processes can account for up to 70% of the capital and operating costs. A significant portion of the functional food market is devoted to dairy functional foods and ingredients, as milk and whey provide rich sources of bioactive proteins and peptides with a variety of biological and nutritional properties. Hence this paper focuses upon the potential for use of hierarchical mesoporous silica materials for separation of functional food ingredients, taking dairy streams as a representative example.