BACKGROUND: The concept of integrated countercurrent nanofiltration cascades is derived from fractional distillation and results in an enriched and a depleted stream, the volume and purity of which can be controlled by changing the operating parameters. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of integrated countercurrent nanofiltration cascades for advanced separation of individual organic components in aqueous solution by means of single-stage filtration experiments using xylose and maltose and cascade simulations. The influence of module recovery, membrane characteristics, recycled fraction and the number of modules was evaluated.