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Cleaning

EXTENSIVE USE OF ENZYMES IN CLEANING IS BOTH, ECOLOGICALLY COMPATIBLE AND MODERN BIO-HIGHTECH. In CLEANING applications a variety of enzyme activities is used as enzyme detergents. Professional cleaners may prefer to use digesters separate from detergents in presoak blots. In addition enzyme detergents strongly support the activity of surfactants synergistically acting by increasing solubility and liberation of bound pigments/stain.

The most abundant pigments are Anthocyanes, Tannins, Polyphenoles, Porphyrines (Heme, Chlorophylls), Beta Carotins, Lycopenes but there are many more. Enzymes act by degradation of many different composite contaminants suc as: 

BLOOD, BEER, WINE, BUTTER, MARGARINE, WAX, TOMATO SAUCE,  CHEWING GUM, CHOCOLATE, COCKTAILS, COFFEE, COUGH SYRUP, CRAYONS, EGG, FOOD COLOURING, FRUIT JUICE, FURNITURE STAINS, GLUE (School), GRASS, GRAVY, GREASES , ICE CREAM, INK (India), JAM & JELLY, LIPSTICK, MILDEW, MILK, MUCILAGE, MUD, MUSTARD, OILS, PAINT (Oil), PAINT (Water), SHOE POLISH, FRESH URIN (Wet), OLD URINE (Dry), MANOIR, VOMIT, INSECT DEBRIS.

The most important application for technical enzymes is in cleaning textiles  and in special technical cleaning procedures e.g. cleaning of filters. Cellulose fibers of cotton, hemp and linen as well as keratine fibers of wool and all synthetic fibers can be efficiently cleaned with support of a variety of enzyme activities.

The most important enzymes for cleaning textiles are Proteases, Lipases, Amylases, Glucanases, Cellulases. Other more specific enzymes have considerable potential to be used for highly specific tasks in cleaning e.g. Catalase or other Oxidoreductases in enzymatic bleaching or in hydroxylizing and solubilizing contaminating substances. The cleaning enzymes mentioned above do in general not affect the fibers and are specific for the contaminating substances. Only few cleaning applications affect the garment fibers very superficially.

In biopolishing procedures it is desirable that the applied enzyme activities are Cellulases specific for the cellulose fibers of cotton fabrics as well as hemp and linen fiber made garments. The effects of such treatment are visible in a smooth and fresh look of the textiles by resolution of microentanglements and depilling. They also remove any dirt by minimally clearing away superficial material in the nanometer scale. Wool made clothes can be biopolished by Proteases with Keratinase activity freshing up the garment and showing a renewing effect. Other applications of technical enzymes used in the production of textiles are summarized in the application field of textile processing e.g. very harsh treatment of cotton fabrics with cellulose leads and the stone washing effect which is used to grade up cotton products like trousers. 

The most important enzymes for cleaning of surfaces in textile cleaning procedures are Proteases, Lipases, Amylases, Glucanases, Cellulases but other specific enzyme activities have considerable potential and favorable properties to be used for highly specialized tasks in cleaning like Catalase or other Oxidoreductases, e.g. enzymatical bleaching or in hydroxylizing and solubilizing contaminating substances. Concerning surfaces one can distinguishe between plain surfaces and hidden, inaccessable and inner surfaces.

Cleaning of fluids is a field of high diversity and several applications can be classified in different application areas like technical processing or environmental technologies or in application fields like food processing. The effects of such an enzymatic treatment are reduction of viscosity, degradation of floating particles or enzymatic-chemical conversion of molecules, e.g. detoxification. These applications are mostly realised in technical processing suc as removing fruit juice cloudiness by Pectinase or removing protein from fluids, e.g. Chymotrypsin mediated clotting of milk proteins (albumin) or removing contaminating protein from DNA-preparations in Molecular Biology.