Production of Bromelain Enzyme from Pineapple Waste by Membrane Process

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme derived from pineapple waste, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the total volume of pineapples utilized, has gained significant attention in recent years. The employment of membrane technology has surfaced as a promising approach for the production of enzymes. A complete comprehension regarding the purification and preservation of bromelain enzymes is yet to be achieved. To address this gap, the present study aimed to extract and purify bromelain from pineapple waste to enhance the value of these by-products. The continuous microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and lyophilization system were optimized to enhance enzyme recovery and purity. The filtration process increased bromelain purity by 1.37-fold and achieved a 96.5 % enzyme recovery rate, indicating its effectiveness in separating bromelain from the pineapple crude extract. The highest activity of 3279.02 GDU/g was achieved through lyophilization, combined with 10 % of skim milk as a cryoprotectant. The product was detected and quantified using Liquid Chromatography with Refractive Index Detector (LC-RID). The combination of membrane and lyophilization processes could potentially separate bromelain from pineapple waste, with promising applications in biotechnology and the food industry.