Potassium Removal from Juices Using an Individual Single-Use Ion-Exchange Device

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Abstract
There are more than 100 million patients with various stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with decrease in CKD1 to loss in CKD 5 (end stage renal disease, ESRD) in the ability of the kidney to excrete K+ causing hyperkalemia and potentially heart attack. To avoid hyperkalemia, kidney patients have to drastically limit the consumption of fruit and vegetable juices that significantly decreases the nutritional value of their diet. Previous research using ion-exchange column chromatography demonstrated some efficiency in the K+ removal from juices without pulp, whereas no approaches have been generated for the K+ removal from juices with pulp (e.g. the most popular in the USA orange juice). Currently there are no commercially available low K+ fruit/vegetable juices for renal patients nor do patients have the ability to lower the K+ in juices on an individual basis. A device is reported that individual patients can use to remove K+ from juices with or without pulp using permeable t-sacs with Dowex Monosphere 99/320 Ca cation-exchange resin. The device significantly lowers the K+ content (by ~80% of original), is simple to use, and will be of benefit to patients who are on K+ restricted diets.