Elastin peptide production device and elastin peptide production process using membrane filtration separation process

Abstract

The present invention discloses an elastin peptide production apparatus using a membrane filtration separation process, and belongs to the technical field of protein peptide production, the elastin peptide production apparatus comprises: a housing, the center of the interior of which is provided with a separation cavity for membrane filtration of emulsion-like protein peptide; the plurality of membrane filtration units are sequentially arranged from top to bottom; the central column is vertically inserted into the center of the separation cavity, and the interior of the central column is of a cavity structure; the heater is arranged inside the central column; the feeding seat is fixed to the upper side of the interior of the separation cavity, and a feeding pipe is obliquely connected to the upper portion of the feeding seat; the material guide mechanisms are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the membrane filtration units, and the material guide mechanisms are positioned above the membrane filtration units; the discharging openings are distributed in the machine shell and located below the separation cavity; according to the invention, the emulsion-like protein peptide can flow and be uniformly spread along the radial direction of the membrane filtration unit, so that the membrane separation efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of protein peptide production technology, specifically a membrane filtration separation process for producing elastin peptides. Background Technology

[0002] Elastin peptides are a class of polypeptides extracted from elastin, primarily found in animal tissues such as skin, blood vessel walls, and lungs. Common sources include pig skin, cow skin, and fish skin. Current elastin peptide production processes mainly include slurry preparation, enzymatic hydrolysis, enzyme inactivation, membrane separation, ceramic membrane filtration, and vacuum concentration. Membrane separation is primarily used to effectively remove large molecular impurities from the solution, such as incompletely hydrolyzed proteins and cell debris. However, most membrane separation equipment simply pours the protein peptide solution into the machine. Emulsion-state protein peptides easily deposit on the membrane surface, exhibiting poor fluidity and directly leading to low filtration efficiency. Although most equipment is equipped with extrusion units to assist in filtration by squeezing the protein peptides on the membrane surface, this easily causes the filter membrane pore size to increase or even break.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an apparatus and process for producing elastin peptides using membrane filtration separation technology to solve the problems mentioned in the background art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an apparatus for producing elastin peptides using a membrane filtration separation process, comprising: The housing has a separation chamber at its center, which is used for membrane filtration of emulsion-like protein peptides; The membrane filtration unit consists of multiple units arranged vertically, with each unit horizontally positioned within the separation chamber. A central column is vertically inserted into the center of the separation chamber, and the central column is designed as a hollow structure. A heater, installed inside the central column, is used to maintain a constant temperature within the separation chamber; A feeding seat is fixed inside the upper side of the separation chamber. A feeding pipe is inclinedly connected above the feeding seat, and a hopper is provided on the feeding pipe. The feeding mechanism is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the membrane filtration units. The feeding mechanism is located above the membrane filtration unit. The feeding mechanism makes the emulsion-like protein peptides flow and spread evenly along the radial direction of the membrane filtration unit so that they can quickly pass through the membrane filtration unit for separation and filtration. The discharge port is located on the casing and below the separation chamber; On the outer wall of the separation chamber, multiple discharge channels are provided along the circumference tangentially at the horizontal end face of each membrane filtration unit. One of the discharge channels is connected to a main pipe, and the other discharge channels are connected to branch pipes. The other end of each branch pipe is connected to the main pipe. The other end of the main pipe is connected to the membrane filtration unit adjacent to it above, and the uppermost main pipe is connected to the feed seat.

[0005] Furthermore, preferably, the material guiding mechanism includes: A shaft tube is sleeved and fixed on the central column, and the central column is rotatably connected inside the machine housing; A ring frame is coaxially arranged outside the shaft tube, and multiple connecting rods are arranged around the inner circumference of the ring frame. The other end of each connecting rod is connected to the shaft tube. A vortex disk is coaxially fixed on the shaft tube, and multiple flow holes are distributed circumferentially on the vortex disk; The guide plate is provided in correspondence with each of the connecting rods and is fixed parallel to the connecting rod; A gear disk is coaxially fixed to the upper end of the central column. A drive unit is installed outside the housing. The output end of the drive unit is connected to the gear disk for transmission via a transmission chain.

[0006] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, a plurality of hoppers are arranged inside the housing, the hoppers are fixed inside the housing and located below the membrane filtration unit, and the hoppers are rotatably connected to the central column; the inner circumference of the hoppers is provided with a plurality of through holes, each of the through holes being vertically distributed above the vortex disk.

[0007] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the connecting rod is rotatably connected between the shaft tube and the ring frame, and the ends of the connecting rod are all fixed with bevel gears inside the central column. An inner rod is rotatably connected inside the central column, and a bevel gear is sleeved on the inner rod. The bevel gears mesh with the bevel gears for transmission. A motor is installed on the central column, and the output end of the motor is connected to the inner rod. The guide plate can be horizontally or inclined to contact the surface of the membrane filtration unit during rotation adjustment along with the connecting rod.

[0008] Furthermore, preferably, the tilt angle of the guide plate is no greater than 70°.

[0009] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the membrane filtration unit includes a microfiltration membrane, which is horizontally arranged in the separation chamber, and the microfiltration membranes in each membrane filtration unit are arranged from top to bottom according to the mesh size from largest to smallest; The microfiltration membrane has multiple fixed liner plates distributed circumferentially, and the separation chamber is equipped with several ultrasonic vibrators corresponding to the fixed liner plates, with the output end of each ultrasonic vibrator connected to the fixed liner plate.

[0010] Furthermore, preferably, the two ultrasonic vibrators in opposite directions operate synchronously, and the two ultrasonic vibrators in adjacent positions are set in opposite operating states.

[0011] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, a process for producing elastin peptides using membrane filtration separation includes the following steps: S1. Raw material extraction: The selected protein raw material is crushed and dissolved, and a solubilizer is added to promote the dissolution effect; the dissolved solution is preliminarily filtered to remove large particulate impurities. S2. Protein enzymatic hydrolysis: Select a suitable protease and carry out enzymatic hydrolysis under appropriate temperature and acid-base conditions; S3. Membrane filtration separation: The enzymatically hydrolyzed emulsion-like protein peptides are fed into the feed seat through the hopper. The emulsion-like protein peptides flow through each membrane filtration unit in sequence. The protein peptides can flow vertically to the vortex disk through the through holes in the hopper. The vortex disk, in conjunction with the guide plate, pushes the material through the vortex disk under continuous rotation, so that the protein peptides flow evenly on the surface of the microfiltration membrane. The ultrasonic vibrator provides vibration to the microfiltration membrane to shake the material and maintain filtration efficiency. S4. Reflux circulation: Protein peptides located at the edge of the microfiltration membrane can enter the discharge channel and flow into the main pipe through the branch pipes of each discharge channel. After entering the main pipe, the protein peptides are recirculated into the hopper located above, thereby achieving continuous circulation. S5. Concentration treatment: The filtered and separated protein peptides are evaporated and concentrated, and then dried by a spray dryer to obtain powdered elastin peptides.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: In this invention, the enzymatically hydrolyzed emulsion-like protein peptides can flow downwards through the through holes in the hopper and fall onto the surface of the vortex disk in the feeding mechanism. At this time, the vortex disk can work with the feeding plate to evenly distribute the emulsion-like protein peptides along the radial direction of the membrane filtration unit while rotating continuously, thereby improving the membrane separation efficiency. In addition, some unfiltered protein peptides can also be concentrated from the discharge channel into the main pipe and recirculated into the hopper located above, thereby maintaining the fluidity of the protein peptides and avoiding excessive accumulation. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the material discharge channel in this invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the material guiding mechanism in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bucket disc and the drive unit in this invention; Figure 5This is a cross-sectional view of the central column in this invention; Figure 6 for Figure 1 Enlarged schematic diagram of the structure at point A in the middle; In the diagram: 1. Housing; 11. Separation chamber; 12. Central column; 13. Heater; 14. Feed seat; 15. Hopper; 16. Discharge port; 2. Membrane filtration unit; 21. Microfiltration membrane; 22. Fixed liner; 23. Ultrasonic vibrator; 3. Feeding mechanism; 31. Shaft tube; 32. Ring frame; 33. Connecting rod; 34. Vortex disk; 35. Flow hole; 36. Feeding plate; 37. Gear disk; 38. Drive unit; 4. Discharge channel; 41. Main pipe; 42. Branch pipe; 5. Hopper disk; 51. Through hole; 6. Inner rod; 61. Bevel gear; 62. Motor. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Please see Figures 1-6 In this embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for producing elastin peptides using a membrane filtration separation process includes: The housing 1 has a separation chamber 11 located in the center of its interior, which is used for membrane filtration of emulsion-like protein peptides; The membrane filtration unit 2 consists of multiple units arranged vertically, and each membrane filtration unit 2 is horizontally disposed in the separation chamber 11. A central column 12 is vertically inserted into the center of the separation chamber 11, and the central column 12 is designed as a hollow structure. The heater 13 is installed inside the central column 12 and is used to maintain the internal temperature of the separation chamber 11. By precisely controlling the temperature, the protein peptides can be prevented from denaturing or degrading due to excessively high or low temperatures, thus ensuring their biological activity.

[0015] The feeding seat 14 is fixed inside the upper side of the separation chamber 11. A feeding pipe is inclinedly connected above the feeding seat 14, and a hopper 15 is provided on the feeding pipe. The feeding mechanism 3 is arranged one-to-one with each of the membrane filtration units 2. The feeding mechanism 3 is located above the membrane filtration unit 2. The feeding mechanism 3 makes the emulsion-like protein peptides flow and spread evenly along the radial direction of the membrane filtration unit 2 so that they can quickly pass through the membrane filtration unit for separation and filtration. The discharge port 16 is located on the housing 1 below the separation chamber 11; it is used to discharge and collect the protein peptides that have completed membrane filtration separation. On the outer wall of the separation chamber 11, multiple discharge channels 4 are provided along the circumference tangentially at the horizontal end face of each membrane filtration unit 2. One of the discharge channels 4 is connected to a main pipe 41, and the other discharge channels 4 are connected to branch pipes 42. The other end of each branch pipe 42 is connected to the main pipe 41. The other end of the main pipe 41 is connected to the membrane filtration unit 2 adjacent to it above, and the uppermost main pipe 41 is connected to the feed seat 14. In other words, the protein peptides can flow and spread evenly along the radial direction of the membrane filtration unit 2, ensuring filtration efficiency. Furthermore, the protein peptides located at the edge of the membrane filtration unit 2 can flow into each discharge channel 4, and then enter the main pipe 41 through the branch pipes 42 on the discharge channel 4 for collection (a pump can be used to provide continuous conveying power). The protein peptides in the main pipe 41 are recirculated and discharged, thereby achieving continuous flow filtration of protein peptides. Compared with the membrane filtration or pressure filtration equipment in the traditional technology, the present invention can reduce the resistance of protein peptides during membrane filtration, increase the filtration flow rate, avoid membrane surface blockage caused by excessive accumulation of protein peptides, and have almost zero damage to the membrane, thus extending the membrane service life.

[0016] In this embodiment, the material guiding mechanism 3 includes: The shaft tube 31 is sleeved and fixed on the central column 12, and the central column 12 is rotatably connected inside the housing 1; A ring frame 32 is coaxially arranged outside the shaft tube 31. Multiple connecting rods 33 are arranged around the inner circumference of the ring frame 32, and the other end of each connecting rod 33 is connected to the shaft tube 31. The vortex disk 34 is coaxially fixed on the shaft tube 31, and multiple flow holes 35 are distributed around the circumference of the vortex disk 34; the vortex disk 34 can guide the protein peptides to flow away from the center as it rotates continuously with the central column. The guide plate 36 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the connecting rods 33 and is fixed parallel to the connecting rods 33; The gear disk 37 is coaxially fixed to the upper end of the central column 12. A drive unit 38 is installed outside the housing 1. The output end of the drive unit 38 is connected to the gear disk 37 through a transmission chain, thereby driving the rotation of each vortex disk 34 on the central column 12 to guide the material and ensure the flow filtration intensity of the protein peptide.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of hoppers 5 are arranged inside the housing 1. The hoppers 5 are fixed inside the housing 1 and located below the membrane filtration unit 2. The hoppers 5 are rotatably connected to the central column 12. The inner circumference of the hoppers 5 is provided with a plurality of through holes 51, each of which is vertically distributed above the vortex disk 34. This allows protein peptides to be directly transported to the surface of the vortex disk 34 through the through holes 51, avoiding the flow impact of the protein peptides on the microfiltration membrane 21 and extending its service life. It should be noted that the main pipe 41 on the corresponding discharge channel 4 is connected to the hoppers 5, thereby enabling continuous circulation of protein peptides and preventing excessive accumulation on the membrane surface that could cause blockage.

[0018] In this embodiment, the connecting rod 33 is rotatably connected between the shaft tube 31 and the ring frame 32. The ends of the connecting rod 33 are all fixed with bevel gears inside the central column 12. An inner rod 6 is rotatably connected inside the central column 12. A bevel gear 61 is sleeved on the inner rod 6. The bevel gears mesh with the bevel gear 61 for transmission. A motor 62 is installed on the central column 12. The output end of the motor 62 is connected to the inner rod 6. The guide plate 36 can be in horizontal or inclined contact with the surface of the membrane filter unit 2 during rotation adjustment with the connecting rod 33, so as to adjust the guiding conveying intensity according to the consistency of the protein peptide. For example, when the consistency of the protein peptide is high, the inner rod 6 is used to rotate and adjust each connecting rod 33 so that the guide plate 36 is at the maximum tilt angle, the protein peptide stays on the membrane surface for a short time, the probability of clogging is small, and the continuous flow filtration of protein peptide is guaranteed.

[0019] In this embodiment, the tilt angle of the guide plate 36 is no greater than 70°.

[0020] In this embodiment, the membrane filtration unit 2 includes a microfiltration membrane 21, which is horizontally arranged in the separation chamber 11. The microfiltration membranes 21 in each membrane filtration unit 2 are arranged from top to bottom according to the size of the mesh. Microfiltration membranes (pore size 0.1-1.0 μm), ultrafiltration membranes (pore size 1-100 kDa), and nanofiltration membranes (pore size 0.1-1 nm) can also be used from top to bottom. The microfiltration membrane 21 has multiple fixed liner plates 22 distributed around its circumference, and the separation chamber 11 is provided with several ultrasonic vibrators 23 corresponding to the fixed liner plates 22, with the output end of each ultrasonic vibrator 23 connected to the fixed liner plate 22.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the two ultrasonic vibrators 23 located in opposite directions operate synchronously, and the two ultrasonic vibrators 23 located in adjacent positions are set in opposite operating states. This can effectively improve the ultrasonic vibration effect on the microfiltration membrane and further improve the protein peptide filtration flow.

[0022] In this embodiment, a process for producing elastin peptides using membrane filtration separation includes the following steps: S1. Raw material extraction: The selected protein raw material is crushed and dissolved, and a solubilizer is added to promote the dissolution effect; the dissolved solution is preliminarily filtered to remove large particulate impurities. S2. Protein hydrolysis: Select a suitable protease and carry out enzymatic hydrolysis under appropriate temperature and acid-base conditions. After protein hydrolysis, a protein peptide emulsion is formed. S3. Membrane filtration separation: The enzymatically hydrolyzed emulsion-like protein peptides are fed into the feed seat 14 through the hopper 15. The emulsion-like protein peptides flow sequentially through each membrane filtration unit 2. The protein peptides can flow vertically to the vortex disk 34 through the through holes 51 in the hopper 5. The vortex disk 34, in conjunction with the guide plate 36, continuously rotates and distributes the protein peptides so that they are evenly spread on the surface of the microfiltration membrane 21. The ultrasonic vibrator 23 provides vibration to the microfiltration membrane 21 to maintain filtration efficiency. S4. Recirculation: Protein peptides located at the edge of the microfiltration membrane 21 can enter the discharge channel 4 and flow into the main pipe 41 through the branch pipes 42 of each discharge channel 4. After entering the main pipe 41, the protein peptides recirculate into the upper hopper 5, thereby achieving continuous circulation. This avoids the accumulation and clogging of protein peptides on the surface of the microfiltration membrane and can improve the filtration flow of protein peptides to a certain extent. S5. Concentration treatment: The filtered and separated protein peptides are evaporated and concentrated, and then dried by a spray dryer to obtain powdered elastin peptides.

[0023] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An elastin peptide production device using a membrane filtration separation process, characterized in that: It includes: A housing (1) having a separation chamber (11) disposed at its inner center, wherein the separation chamber (11) is used to perform membrane filtration on the emulsion protein peptide; A plurality of membrane filtration units (2) are arranged in sequence up and down, and each of the membrane filtration units (2) is horizontally arranged in the separation chamber (11); A central column (12) is vertically inserted into the center of the separation chamber (11), and a hollow structure is provided inside the central column (12); A heater (13) installed inside the central column (12) and used for thermostatically regulating the internal temperature of the separation chamber (11); A feed seat (14) is fixed to the upper side of the separation chamber (11), a feed pipe is obliquely connected to the upper side of the feed seat (14), and a hopper (15) is provided on the feed pipe; A material guiding mechanism (3) is arranged in one-to-one correspondence with each of the membrane filtration units (2), and each of the material guiding mechanisms (3) is located above the membrane filtration units (2). The material guiding mechanism (3) evenly spreads the emulsion protein peptide along the radial direction of the membrane filtration unit (2) so that it can quickly pass through the membrane filtration unit for separation and filtration; A discharge port (16) is distributed on the housing (1) and is located below the separation chamber (11); A plurality of discharge channels (4) are provided on the outer wall of the separation chamber (11) at the horizontal end surface of each membrane filtration unit (2) and extend tangentially along the circumference thereof, wherein one of the discharge channels (4) is connected to a main pipe (41), and the remaining discharge channels (4) are connected to branch pipes (42), and the other end of each branch pipe (42) is connected to the main pipe (41); the other end of the main pipe (41) is connected to the membrane filtration unit (2) adjacent to it, and the uppermost main pipe (41) is connected to the feed seat (14).

2. The elastin peptide production device using membrane filtration separation technology according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material guiding mechanism (3) comprises: The shaft tube (31) is sleeved and fixed on the central column (12), and the central column (12) is rotatably connected in the housing (1); A ring frame (32) is coaxially arranged outside the shaft tube (31), and a plurality of connecting rods (33) are circumferentially connected to the ring frame (32), and the other ends of the connecting rods (33) are all connected to the shaft tube (31); A vortex disk (34) is coaxially fixed on the shaft tube (31), and a plurality of flow holes (35) are distributed circumferentially on the vortex disk (34); A material guide plate (36) is arranged one by one corresponding to each of the connecting rods (33) and is fixed in parallel to the connecting rods (33); The gear plate (37) is coaxially fixed to the upper end of the central column (12); a driving unit (38) is installed outside the housing (1); and an output end of the driving unit (38) is connected to the gear plate (37) for transmission via a transmission chain.

3. The elastin peptide production device using membrane filtration separation technology according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of hopper plates (5) are arranged in the casing (1); the hopper plates (5) are fixed in the casing (1) and are located below the membrane filtration unit (2); the hopper plates (5) are rotatably connected to the central column (12); a plurality of through holes (51) are provided on the inner circumference of the hopper plates (5); each of the through holes (51) is vertically distributed above the vortex plate (34).

4. The elastin peptide production device using membrane filtration separation technology according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting rod (33) is rotatably connected between the shaft tube (31) and the ring frame (32); the ends of the connecting rod (33) are located in the center column (12) and are fixed with bevel gears; an inner rod (6) is rotatably connected in the center column (12); a bevel gear (61) is sleeved on the inner rod (6); the bevel gears are meshed with the bevel gear (61) for transmission; a motor (62) is installed on the center column (12); and the output end of the motor (62) is connected to the inner rod (6); The guide plate (36) can contact the surface of the membrane filtration unit (2) in a horizontal or inclined manner during rotation adjustment along with the connecting rod (33).

5. The elastin peptide production device using membrane filtration separation technology according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inclination angle of the guide plate (36) is no greater than 70°.

6. The elastin peptide production device using membrane filtration separation technology according to claim 3, characterized in that: The membrane filtration unit (2) comprises a microfiltration membrane (21) which is horizontally arranged in the separation chamber (11), and the microfiltration membranes (21) in each of the membrane filtration units (2) are arranged in order from large to small mesh sizes from top to bottom; A plurality of fixed lining plates (22) are distributed around the circumference of the microfiltration membrane (21), and a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators (23) corresponding to the fixed lining plates (22) are arranged in the separation chamber (11), with the output end of each ultrasonic vibrator (23) being connected to the fixed lining plate (22).

7. The elastin peptide production device using membrane filtration separation technology according to claim 6, characterized in that: The two ultrasonic vibrators (23) in opposite directions work synchronously, and the working states of the two ultrasonic vibrators (23) located in adjacent positions are arranged in opposite directions.

8. A process for producing elastin peptides by membrane filtration separation process, which uses an elastin peptide production device by membrane filtration separation process as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 7, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: S1. Raw material extraction, crushing and dissolving the selected protein raw material, and adding a solvent to promote the dissolution effect; preliminarily filtering the dissolved solution and removing large particle impurities; S2. Enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins: selecting appropriate proteases and performing enzymatic hydrolysis under suitable temperature and acid-base conditions; S3. Membrane filtration separation, the enzymatically hydrolyzed emulsion protein peptide is fed into the feed seat (14) through the hopper (15), and the emulsion protein peptide flows through each membrane filtration unit (2) in sequence, wherein the protein peptide can flow vertically to the vortex disk (34) through the through hole (51) in the hopper plate (5), so that the vortex disk (34) cooperates with the guide plate (36) to move the protein peptide under continuous rotation, so that the protein peptide flows and is evenly spread on the surface of the microfiltration membrane (21), and the ultrasonic vibrator (23) provides vibration to the microfiltration membrane (21) to shake the material and maintain the filtration efficiency; S4. Reflux circulation, the protein peptides at the edge of the microfiltration membrane (21) can enter the discharge channel (4), and flow into the main pipe (41) through the branch pipes (42) of each discharge channel (4), and after entering the main pipe (41), the protein peptides recirculate and flow into the bucket plate (5) located above, thereby achieving continuous circulation flow; S5. Concentration treatment: The filtered and separated protein peptides are evaporated and concentrated, and then dried by a spray dryer to obtain powdered elastin peptides.

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