Researchers from the University of Canterbury (UC) in New Zealand are developing a new bio-film to address the problem of bio-fouling of milk proteins in milk processing facilities.
This film can be used to coat stainless steel surfaces and is claimed to save a significant fraction of the NZD300m ($238m) per year,which the country's food production sector spends in cleaning and associated maintenance costs.
UC postgraduate student Neha Chandrasekaran said that the fouling on the stainless steel pipelines, equipment and heat exchangers used in milk processing facilities is the main problem faced by the dairy industry.
"Dairy industry fouling occurs due to deposits from fluids and other milk proteins present in them. There are various factors that cover the cause of fouling on surfaces, especially stainless steel surfaces," Chandrasekaran added.
"Fouling of heat exchangers is a serious issue as it reduces heat transfer efficiency, causes contamination for the product and increases pressure drop and, hence, affects the economy of the processing plant.
"Our research, inspired by marvels of the marine world, is seeking to produce bio-film using synthetic mussel sequences that could be used to coat the stainless steel surfaces and act as a solution to the problem of bio-fouling by milk proteins in particular.''
