نوع مقاله : مقاله کامل علمی پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه مهندسی شیمی-دانشکده مهندسی-دانشگاه کردستان- سنندج- ایران
2 گروه مهندسی شیمی، دانشکده مهندسی، دانشگاه کردستان، ایران
3 گروه مهندسی شیمی، دانشکده مهندسی، دانشگاه کردستان، ایران،
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Objective: Grape and fig syrups, as rich sources of natural sugars, polyphenols, and minerals, possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hematopoietic properties. These natural compounds have potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their effects on improving anemia, boosting the immune system, and increasing energy levels. However, turbidity in fruit syrups remains a major challenge in terms of consumer acceptance and industrial processing. This study investigates the performance of biosorbents derived from citrus peels (orange, lemon, and tangerine) in removing turbidity from these syrups using the adsorption method.
Materials and Methods: For this purpose, citrus (orange, lemon, and tangerine) peels were separated from the edible portions, dried, ground, and sieved. To evaluate the structural and chemical characteristics of the adsorbents, FESEM, EDX, FTIR, and BET analyses were conducted.
Results: FESEM imaging revealed that lemon peel exhibited a dense structure with particle aggregation, whereas tangerine and especially orange peels showed a porous and uniform morphology. BET analysis recorded a higher specific surface area for orange peel (10 m²/g) compared to the other adsorbents. FTIR spectroscopy indicated that active functional groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, and phenolic groups were more intense in orange peel than in lemon and tangerine peels. Under identical operational conditions, orange peel adsorbent achieved 65.5% turbidity removal from fig syrup and 36.8% from grape syrup. This performance difference was attributed to the nature and composition of turbidity-causing compounds in each syrup. Subsequently, the effects of operational variables—including contact time, adsorbent dosage, gelatin concentration, and solution pH—on the turbidity removal efficiency of fig syrup using orange peel biosorbent were examined through a one-factor-at-a-time approach. Under optimal conditions (60-min contact time, 0.2 g adsorbent, 0.009 g gelatin, and acidic pH), the highest turbidity removal rate for fig syrup (70.4%) was recorded. The use of natural gelatin as a coagulant aid enhanced the interaction between turbidity particles and the adsorbent; however, excessive gelatin led to reverse turbidity.
Conclusion: These practical findings can inform the design of effective operational strategies to improve the visual quality and consumer acceptance of plant-based syrup processing. Overall, the results demonstrated that orange peel bioadsorbent is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and efficient option for clarifying plant-based syrup, paving the way for sustainable industrial methods in food product processing. The improved performance of the orange peel biosorbent can be attributed to its more uniform and porous morphology, appropriate distribution of active sites, higher surface area, and the presence of more active functional groups compared to the lemon and tangerine peel samples.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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