INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING WHEY POWDER TO REDUCE THE TOXICITY OF THE WATER/ALCOHOL MIXTURE

Abstract

A promising way of reducing the toxicity of ethanol is purifying the water/alcohol mixture with sorbents. This paper proves the effectiveness of the method when prepared whey powder is used to remove toxic elements from a water/alcohol mixture. In the test samples, the mass concentration of toxic substances (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, methanol) was determined by high-performance gas chromatography. It has been established how the effectiveness of purifying the alcohol/water mixture depends on the amount of the sorbent added and on the resting duration. The amount of the sorbent was 3–9 kg per 1000 dal, when calculated as whey powder, and the resting time was 1–5 hours. The maximum decrease in toxic substances was observed when prepared whey (whey powder equivalent) was added in the amount 6.0±1.0 kg per 1000 dal, with 3 hours’ resting. Under these purification conditions, the mass concentration of aldehydes in the water/alcohol mixture was reduced by 30%, the volume fraction of methanol by 27%, the mass concentration of esters by more than 70%, and the concentration of fusel oil did not exceed the detection threshold. The toxic substances decrease due to the coagulation of whey protein with quite a branched surface, which is accompanied by the sorption of toxic substances dissolved in the water/alcohol mixture, especially of those with a large molecular weight. These toxic components are the ones that can reduce the quality of raw materials and degrade the sensory properties. Purification of the water/alcohol mixture, when toxic compounds are removed with the help of prepared whey powder, improves the sensory characteristics. A sample purified with milk whey has a softer and more rounded flavour and a characteristic shine. The use of prepared whey as a sorbent to purify the water/alcohol mixture allows obtaining a low-toxic product with improved sensory properties.