Sains Malaysiana 55(9)(2026): 1416-1428

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5509-01

 

Potentiality of Proteins Recovery from Surimi Washwater using UF Crossflow System

(Potensi Pemulihan Protein daripada Air Basuhan Surimi menggunakan Sistem Aliran Silang UF)

 

AMIRAH MOHAMMAD SIDIK¹, DIYANA KAMARUDIN^2,3,*, SITI FATIHAH WAHAB⁴, NORA’AINI ALI⁴, USWATUN HASANAH ABDUL RONI², NOOR FAUZIYAH ISHAK⁵ & MOHAMAD FAIRUS RABUNI⁶

 

¹Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

²Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

³Water Research and Analysis Centre (ALIR), Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

⁴Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

⁵Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

⁶Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Received: 23 September 2025/Accepted: 19 August 2026

 

*Corresponding author; email: diyana.k@ukm.edu.my

 

Abstract

Washwater from surimi production contains significant amounts of proteins and other useful components, which are typically discharged directly without recovery procedures. Additionally, the washing phase in surimi processing consumes a significant quantity of water, and the direct discharge from surimi production adversely impacts the environment. The ultrafiltration (UF) process not only extracts proteins that otherwise complicate washwater treatment but also enables the reuse of large volumes of water. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of UF in the fractionation of proteins from surimi washwater. A PVDF membrane with a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 100 kDa was used to separate these proteins using a bench-scale crossflow filtration system setup. This investigation evaluated several varieties of local, white-fleshed fish and freshwater fish as samples, namely Shark Catfishes (F1), Threadfin Bream (F2), Red Tilapia (F3), Obtuse Barracuda (F4), and Peters' Monocle Bream (F5). F5 exhibited the highest total protein concentration of 2346.25 mg/mL in comparison to the other types of fish. The flux marked a range of rejection of 21%-63% of total protein content. Further investigation was carried out using Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to segregate proteins based on their electrophoretic mobility. In SDS-PAGE analysis, each type of fish exhibited distinct band patterns according to the various proteins present in the fish, and eventually UF presented a promising approach for the protein recovery process for a broad spectrum of protein based on MWCO.

Keywords: Crossflow filtration; protein recovery; surimi washwater; ultrafiltration membrane; washwater treatment

 

Abstrak

Air basuhan daripada penghasilan surimi mengandungi sejumlah besar protein dan komponen bermanfaat lain, yang kebiasaannya dilepaskan terus tanpa sebarang prosedur pemulihan. Selain itu, fasa pencucian dalam pemprosesan surimi menggunakan kuantiti air yang banyak dan pelepasan terus daripada pengeluaran surimi memberi kesan negatif terhadap alam sekitar. Proses ultraturasan (UF) bukan sahaja mengekstrak protein yang sebaliknya menyukarkan rawatan air basuhan, malah membolehkan penggunaan semula jumlah air yang banyak. Seterusnya, penghabluran pukal boleh digunakan untuk memurnikan sebahagian protein yang diperoleh, sekali gus menambah nilai kepada pendekatan cekap sumber ini. Kajian ini bertujuan menilai keberkesanan UF dalam pemecahan protein daripada air basuhan surimi. Membran PVDF dengan had potongan berat molekul (MWCO) 100 kDa telah digunakan untuk memisahkan protein ini melalui sistem penurasan aliran silang berskala makmal. Kajian ini menggunakan beberapa jenis ikan berdaging putih tempatan dan ikan air tawar sebagai sampel, iaitu ikan Patin (F1), Kerisi Bali (F2), Tilapia Merah (F3), Kacang (F4) dan Timun (F5). F5 menunjukkan kepekatan protein keseluruhan tertinggi iaitu 2346.25 mg/mL berbanding jenis ikan lain. Fluks mencatatkan julat penolakan sebanyak 21%-63% daripada jumlah kandungan protein bagi kesemua jenis ikan. Penyelidikan lanjut dijalankan menggunakan Sulfat Natrium Dodekil Gel Elektrophoresis Poliakrilamida (SDS-PAGE) untuk mengasingkan protein berdasarkan mobiliti elektroforetiknya. Dalam analisis SDS-PAGE, setiap jenis ikan menunjukkan corak jalur yang berbeza mengikut pelbagai protein yang terdapat pada ikan tersebut dan akhirnya UF menunjukkan pendekatan yang berpotensi untuk proses pemulihan protein bagi spektrum luas protein berdasarkan MWCO.

Kata kunci: Air basuhan surimi; membran ultraturasan; pemulihan protein; penurasan aliran silang; rawatan air basuhan

 

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