Enzymes used in making detergents?
Answer:
Enzymes in detergents :
Enzymes as aids to washing are not new to the industry. Proteolytic enzymes had been tried as additives to washing powders in Germany in the 1920s with only moderate success and again in Switzerland in the 1930s. Enzymes, which can be called organic catalysts, tend to hasten reactions and the proteolytic enzymes convert or 'break down' proteins wholly or partially into amino acids. The action is rather slow and the production costs high, but with improved methods of production and purification, strains of enzymes, usually in admixture with a proportion of amylase which breaks down starches, were developed which were relatively fast acting. These were added initially to 'pre-soak' detergents and found immediate acceptance in the European countries where washing habits were such that washing was normally soaked for a period prior to the wash proper.
Better and better strains of enzymes were developed, with stability to a wider pH spectrum, stability against perborate and quicker action. In the United States detergent manufacturers resisted the incorporation of enzymes into their powders for some years after this type of powder had almost completely swept the board in Europe but in 1968 enzymatic powders started appearing there as well. The position at present is that enzymatic powders are now holding a large proportion of the household detergent market and formulations appeared made for machine washing. Some washing-machine manufacturers are now producing automatic washing machines with a 'Bio' programme which allows the washing to remain in contact with the detergent solution for an extended period of time at a relatively low temperature before beginning the washing and heating cycle. The future of enzymes is at the moment obscure as the production of enzymatic powders has raised its own problems, and one Scandinavian firm has already decided to withdraw its powder containing enzymes from the market, but other large firms are taking enzymes out of some of their powders while forging ahead with others.
Proteases, amylases, lipases, and cellulases all serve this market.
Enzymes in biological detergents eat dirt. They can also cause skin problems in some folk.
The enzymes used in laundry detergents act on materials that make up a variety of stains and soils so that these materials can be washed away more easily. These enzymes are named after the materials they can act upon, for example, proteases break down protein based stains, lipolases break down lipid (fat) based stains and amylases break down starches and other carbohydrate based stains (amyl is Greek for starch). Since one enzyme molecule can act on many substrate (i.e., soil) molecules, a small amount of enzyme added to a laundry detergent can provide a big cleaning benefit to the consumer.
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