Enzymes in detergents

Objectives	top
To hydrolyze protein-based stains on the human skin into soluble amino acids.
Introduction	top
In today's personal care and hygienic such as shampoo and bath products/ personal care detergents preparations, enzymes such as proteases, lipases, catalases and amylases are some of the active ingredients with great potential. In the U. S. personal care and hygienic market, almost all of liquid shampoo, bath soaps products, and of powder bath products, now contain conventional surfactants alone. Biotechnologic enzymes to help break down stains that are otherwise hard to remove with conventional surfactants alone; while exhibiting various properties of skin rejuvenation and maintenance and extremely non-irritation potential. For example, amylase catalyses the breakdown of starch-based stains to smaller segments that make up the larger starch molecule. Oligosaccharides and dextrins released from the enzyme's hydrolytic action are soluble; thus, the stain is physically cut off front the surface of the skin piece by piece, with the enzyme acting as scissors. The action of proteases, as implied by the name itself, is similar to that of amylase, except that a large protein molecule is hydrolysed. During the process of hydrolysis, the peptide bonds that hold various amino acids together to form a protein molecule are broken down, releasing smaller polypeptides and individual amino acid units. Generally, polymers made of less than approximately one hundred amino acid monomer units are called polypeptides and larger ones are called proteins. In this experiment, the milk protein casein for cheese making is bound with a blue dye. A small area of the volunteers' skin is soiled by the dyed casein. The purpose of this experiment is to observe the hydrolyic action of bacterial genes manipulated fruit-derived protease in removing protein-based stains on the volunteers' skin and in doing so without any level of skin-irritation experienced during or after the use of fruit-enzymes formulated bath soap. Fruit Enzymes Shampoo & Bath Concentrateä range are generally formulated to degrade mainly oil and grease, protein-based stains, which stains are and have been traditionally been among the hardest to remove. Proteins can act as strong natural bonding agents that make all sorts of dirt adhere stubbornly to skin. Other proteinaceous dirt includes perspiration, greases, and make-up shine stains. This exercise demonstrates that it takes fruit-derived protein to get out protein.
List of Reagents and Instruments	top
EQUIPMENT	REAGENTS
Flasks, 250 ml Graduated cylinder Spectrophotometer Balance Calibrated glass droppers Air dryer	Fruit Enzymes Baby Shampoo JBS (Baby Shampoo), (containing Campo Fruit-derived- Enzymes) Dyed casein A regular surfactant based liquid Bath Soap
Procedures	top
Dissolve 100 g of Fruit Enzymes Baby Shampoo Concentrate JBS in 200 rut of hot (60C) water in a 250 ml flask.(the bath formulation should not be dyed as it (colors/dyes) obviously interferes with the quantitative determination of the rate of protein degradation bv the colorimetric method; thus, dyed formulation should not be used if quantitative information is desired.) Similarly, mix 100 g of regular surfactant-based bath soap in 200 ml of hot water in a second flask. Place a small piece of the dyed casein about 3 cm2 square unto each volunteers' both forearms and let it dry for 20 minutes under an airdyer. Use dropper to place 5 drops of each liquid bath soap solution on a small area of each dyed area of the square on each of the forearm. Wait for 1 minute before washing both forearms with clean water. After washing the forearms with clean water, measure the absorbance with a spectrophotometer of both forearms. (Step 3 may be repeated for the regular surfactant based bath soap used forearm until the changes in the color intensity level off).The stain should be removed in approximately, 2-3 minutes for the liquid bath soap based on fruit-enzymes, but sometimes it takes as long as a few hours for the complete removal of the color for the regular surfactant based bath soap formulation. Compare the effectiveness of the Fruit Enzymes based protease ( in Fruit Enzymes-Baby Shampoo Concentrate ä JBS based bath soap formulation) with the regular surfactant based bath soap formulation. Also compare all other volunteers' control forearms.
Discussions	top
An enzyme was first used to improve the effectiveness of a laundry detergent in 1913 by a German named Otto Roohm, the founder of the giant chemical company Rohm and Hass. The proteolytic enzyme he used, derived from milled animal pancreases, was quite crude and contained many impurities which, in turn, sometimes stained the very textile it was supposed to clean. Neither was the process of enzyme extraction economical enough to include it routinely in household detergents. Currently, these enzymes are manufactured commercially in large quantities through fermentation by common soil bacteria Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus lichenformis. This was made possible in the last two decades by, the rapid advances in enzymology and fermentation technology,. Although numerous other microorganisms produce proteases and amylases, the types secreted by the above strains have the advantage that they work best at the warm alkaline conditions prevailing in washing liquids. They also must not lose their activity in an environment which contains a multitude of potentially inhibitory chemicals routinely formulated into laundry detergents such as surface active agents, magnesium or calcium ions, builders (sodium tripolyphosphate), perfumes, and other additives. However, fermentation based enzymes has made little headway into the personal care and personal hygienic products markets, due to the facts: these enzymes are fermentation-products, and such manufactured enzymes are harsh to the skin and have high scores in irritation potentials. compatibility with most of the ingredients used in a general personal care formulation are lacking.
References	top
Duffy,J.I.,Chemicals by Enzymatic and Microbial Processes,NoyesDataCorp.,New Jersey, 1980, p368-373.