During her PhD studies, Freja Mardal investigated the accumulation of proteins, referred to as fouling, on a filter used for separating casein and whey proteins in milk. Freja Mardal focused on a new approach to study fouling, and for the first time, she was able to demonstrate how the small changes in the conditions commonly employed during filtration can impact the mineral content and pH of the casein-rich concentrates. She was able to clearly visualize the transient nature of the deposits formed, and also investigated how these alterations may impact the technological properties of the milk concentrates.

Great efforts were made to ensure the relevance of the study to production scale, so that the new research findings can offer valuable insights for the industry, and develop further knowledge in this field. 
The PhD study was completed at Department of Food Science, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.
This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday 27th September 2024 at 10:00.
Place: Meeting room 5910-214, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N
Title of PhD thesis: Investigating Fouling in Membrane Filtration and Its Impact on Casein Micelle Structure
Contact information: Freja Mardal, e-mail: frmar@arlafoods.com, tel.: +45 22314083
Members of the assessment committee:
Senior Researcher, Genevieve Gesan-Guiziou, French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, INRAE, France
Professor, Frank Lipnizki, Division of Chemical Engineering, Lund University, Sweden
Associate Professor, Lotte Bach Larsen (chair), Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Professor, Milena Corredig, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Lead Scientist, Behnaz Razi Parjikolaei, R&D, Arla Foods Ingredients, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.