Abstract: The invention provides a process for the recovery of lactic acid from aqueous solutions containing at least one water-soluble lactate salt and having a pH of about between 4 and 14, comprising the steps of: contacting said aqueous solution with a cation exchanger which is at least partially in its acid form, said cation exchanger being water immiscible in both acid and salt form, whereby ion exchange is effected, protons are transferred from the cation exchanger to the aqueous solution to acidulate it and to form lactic acid therein and cations from the aqueous solution are bound by the cation exchanger; reacting the cations carrying cation exchanger to convert it into a cation exchanger which is at least partially in its acid form and to a second product, which second product is basic and comprises the cation of the salt; and recovering lactic acid from the lactic acid-containing acidulated aqueous solution by methods known per se.

Abstract: A method for processing food, and particularly fruit, wherein the leaching discharge stream is separated, for example by desalting electrodialysis, into reusable brine and residual solutions. First, the fruit is brined using conventional techniques. The fruit is then leached or flushed with water to reduce the concentration of brine materials. The discharge stream from the leaching process is separated into a sugar solution and a brine solution, preferably through desalting electrodialysis. The dilute sugar solution is returned to the leaching process to return the natural sugar and color to the fruit. The brine solution preferably is returned to the brining process.

Abstract: A process for preparing a carboxylic acid of high purity comprises preparing an undersaturated solution of a salt of the carboxylic acid; subjecting the undersaturated salt solution to water-splitting electrodialysis to form base and a supersaturated solution of the carboxylic acid; and, then crystallizing the carboxylic acid from the supersaturated solution. In the preferred embodiment, the undersaturated solution is a fermentation broth containing sodium succinate and the carboxylic acid obtained is succinic acid.