Purification of phenolic-based molecules from agro-food by-products via pressure-driven membrane processes

Fruit and vegetable processing industries generate huge amounts of highly polluting wastes and by-products because of their high organic load resistant to biological degradation. On the other hand, intensive researches suggest that these effluents should be regarded as a useful resource for the recovery of fine chemicals and for different biotechnological applications such as the production of important metabolites. This chapter discusses the use of pressure-driven membrane processes for the separation, purification and concentration of polyphenols from agro-food by-products in the light of increasing demand of both consumers and producers towards these compounds. Case studies related to the treatment of citrus, olive oil and wine by-products are analyzed and discussed, highlighting technological advances and improvements over conventional methodologies.