Was leafing through Better Homes and Gardens from 1970 (finding a recipe for a 1969-themed picnic) and came across multiple ads for the (then new) enzyme laundry detergents. Just curious--what was the first actual enzyme? Protease?
What was the initial enzyme in enzyme detergent
- Thread starter jamiel
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Röhm in Germany prepared the first commercial
enzyme preparation in 1914. This trypsin enzyme, isolated from animals, degraded
proteins, and was used as a detergent. It proved to be so powerful compared with
traditional washing-powders that German housewives’ suspicions were aroused by the
small size of the original package, so the product had to be reformulated and sold in larger packages. The real breakthrough for enzymes occurred with the introduction of
microbial proteases into washing powders. The first commercial bacterial Bacillus
protease was marketed in 1959, and became big business when Novozymes in Denmark
started manufacturing it and major detergent manufacturers started using it around 1965.
Source https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C03/E6-54-02-10.pdf
enzyme preparation in 1914. This trypsin enzyme, isolated from animals, degraded
proteins, and was used as a detergent. It proved to be so powerful compared with
traditional washing-powders that German housewives’ suspicions were aroused by the
small size of the original package, so the product had to be reformulated and sold in larger packages. The real breakthrough for enzymes occurred with the introduction of
microbial proteases into washing powders. The first commercial bacterial Bacillus
protease was marketed in 1959, and became big business when Novozymes in Denmark
started manufacturing it and major detergent manufacturers started using it around 1965.
Source https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C03/E6-54-02-10.pdf
Jamie, I think you are right. The enzyme detergents were good for blood and grass stains but no good on fats and body oils. I noticed that in Fresh Start. So the market was born for the oily stain removers like Shout and Pray and Wash.
volvoman
Well-known member
"Pray and Wash"...lol! That about sums it up!
Virtually all bodily fluids and excretions are proteinaceous in nature. Tears, sweat, blood, spew, things from "below the waist" and so forth. Then you have various soils and marks commonly found on textiles that are also protein based (milk, meat juices, etc...)
Protein can be broken down either by enzymes or chemistry. Alkaline pH if high enough will destroy proteins, this is why chlorine bleach cannot be used on wool or silk as both are animal fibers composed of protein. Add high water temperatures and you've got a winning combination. Provided bulk of protein has been rinsed from fabrics in cool to cold water prior to being laundered in very warm, hot or boiling water.
Fats, oils, grease and similar substances depending upon nature are easily broken down by pH (alkaline), solvents and surfactants. Again depending upon nature hot to very water will aid in removal.
Animal based fats/oils on textiles are somewhat more easier to deal with than petroleum or other synthetic based.
By nature fats/oils/grease are hydrophobic, that is they resist water. You need something to emulsify and break them down. Soap is quite good at this, but for wash day presents certain issues. Surfactants also will break down oily dirt/marks. Then you have solvents (such as the alcohols, petroleum based, etc....).
One of first "enzyme" products for wash day was Ox gall (bile) soap.
Most mammals (including human beings) produce various enzymes in their body for purposes of breaking down substances such as protein and fats in aid of digestion and other uses. Some clever person came up with adding by product of slaughtering (bile) to produce a soap for cleaning and laundry.
Today you still can find Ox gall soap in Europe and elsewhere.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipase
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bile_soap
https://organic-store.name/shop/2452
Point of all this bloody palaver is that there are often more than one way to deal with soils and marks on laundry.
Industrial/commercial laundries where wash loads are processed in usually < 30 or 40 minutes don't have time to wait around for enzymes to work. Instead they usually stick with tried and true use of chemicals, pH levels and hot to high water temps to shift.
Domestic situations are different. Long wash cycles coupled with comparatively lower wash temps means enzymes have better chances of working. Indeed besides activated oxygen bleach the other side of "turn down the dial" coin is inclusion of enzymes in laundry products.
Regarding fat or oil stains one often finds it's best to pre-treat with proper product before things go to the wash. Such marks if not removed during washing are like vampires; they come back after wash has been laundered, dried and put away.
Those yellowish marks that seem to appear out of now where on things often are caused by oil/grease/fat soils or marks not fully removed and have now oxidized.
This can be anything from sebum to traces of a mark caused by say salad dressing (made with oil).
Petroleum based and some other oils have a habit of reappearing when exposed to heat.
You get a bit of something on a shirt or blouse. Thing is washed and stain appears to be gone when item comes out of washer. But upon going into dryer or exposed to heat of iron a definite shadow appears. That is residue of oil mark not totally removed.
Until rather recently one could purchase "dry cleaning fluid" (perchloroethylene) for use as home spot remover. This or various brand name spot removers such as K2r that basically contained "perc". For oil or grease based stains few things were better. Well there was Fels Naptha soap, but that also contained suspect ingredients (Stoddard solvent).
Protein can be broken down either by enzymes or chemistry. Alkaline pH if high enough will destroy proteins, this is why chlorine bleach cannot be used on wool or silk as both are animal fibers composed of protein. Add high water temperatures and you've got a winning combination. Provided bulk of protein has been rinsed from fabrics in cool to cold water prior to being laundered in very warm, hot or boiling water.
Fats, oils, grease and similar substances depending upon nature are easily broken down by pH (alkaline), solvents and surfactants. Again depending upon nature hot to very water will aid in removal.
Animal based fats/oils on textiles are somewhat more easier to deal with than petroleum or other synthetic based.
By nature fats/oils/grease are hydrophobic, that is they resist water. You need something to emulsify and break them down. Soap is quite good at this, but for wash day presents certain issues. Surfactants also will break down oily dirt/marks. Then you have solvents (such as the alcohols, petroleum based, etc....).
One of first "enzyme" products for wash day was Ox gall (bile) soap.
Most mammals (including human beings) produce various enzymes in their body for purposes of breaking down substances such as protein and fats in aid of digestion and other uses. Some clever person came up with adding by product of slaughtering (bile) to produce a soap for cleaning and laundry.
Today you still can find Ox gall soap in Europe and elsewhere.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipase
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bile_soap
https://organic-store.name/shop/2452
Point of all this bloody palaver is that there are often more than one way to deal with soils and marks on laundry.
Industrial/commercial laundries where wash loads are processed in usually < 30 or 40 minutes don't have time to wait around for enzymes to work. Instead they usually stick with tried and true use of chemicals, pH levels and hot to high water temps to shift.
Domestic situations are different. Long wash cycles coupled with comparatively lower wash temps means enzymes have better chances of working. Indeed besides activated oxygen bleach the other side of "turn down the dial" coin is inclusion of enzymes in laundry products.
Regarding fat or oil stains one often finds it's best to pre-treat with proper product before things go to the wash. Such marks if not removed during washing are like vampires; they come back after wash has been laundered, dried and put away.
Those yellowish marks that seem to appear out of now where on things often are caused by oil/grease/fat soils or marks not fully removed and have now oxidized.
This can be anything from sebum to traces of a mark caused by say salad dressing (made with oil).
Petroleum based and some other oils have a habit of reappearing when exposed to heat.
You get a bit of something on a shirt or blouse. Thing is washed and stain appears to be gone when item comes out of washer. But upon going into dryer or exposed to heat of iron a definite shadow appears. That is residue of oil mark not totally removed.
Until rather recently one could purchase "dry cleaning fluid" (perchloroethylene) for use as home spot remover. This or various brand name spot removers such as K2r that basically contained "perc". For oil or grease based stains few things were better. Well there was Fels Naptha soap, but that also contained suspect ingredients (Stoddard solvent).
The original Texize Spray and Wash as well as current Shout have dry cleaning fluid in them and they excel at oily stain removal. At some point, Spray and wash became a weak-ass water-based stain remover trying to do the same thing with surfactants. It was not s effective, especially on oily stains.
The thing to remember is that K2R removes things and KY helps insert things.
The thing to remember is that K2R removes things and KY helps insert things.
