Ultrafiltration of protein solutions; the role of protein association in rejection and osmotic pressure

The monomer-dimer equilibrium of the protein β-lactoglobulin under neutral conditions appears to influence the rejection and the osmotic pressure build-up, both phenomena closely related to ultrafiltration. Rejection measurements indicate different rejections for the β-lactoglobulin monomers and dimers: the membrane rejects the dimer almost completely and the monomer only partially. The osmotic pressure turns out to be highly dependent on the protein concentration. A good agreement, up to high concentrations, is found between experimental data and theoretical osmotic pressures, calculated by taking into account the state of association, the excluded volume and the Donnan effects. The effect of changes in pH on the osmotic pressure has been measured: a minimum was found around pH = 4.5, where according to the literature, maximum protein-protein interaction occurs.