The Magic of Biological Detergents |
Posted: June 22, 2017 |
We are all used to detergents that clean with their sheer power of caustic soda, a chemical that removes the dirt and to some extent the stains. But it also takes away the sheen and color of the clothes. When clothes are washed over and over again by these detergents they lose their life as well. The fabric becomes weak and dull. Nowadays there are many biological detergents that are available in the market that are more effective in removing stains and also gentle on clothes. Biological detergents use the power of enzymes to clean the stains. These detergent enzymes are harvested from microorganisms like bacteria that live in hot springs. Now we have to understand what enzymes are and how they work. Enzymes are biological catalysts that breakdown the food stuff that we eat and make it easier for our body to digest as the complex molecules of food stuff are broken into the simpler substances. Since the stains are largely from the edible stuff, oils, fats, coffee etc. they can be broken down by adding the enzymes in the detergent and then washed away with little effort from normal cleaning agents. Thus Biological detergents clean in the same way as non-biological ones with additional effects from the detergent enzyme, whose purpose is to break down protein, starches and fat in dirt and stains on clothing. Several tests around the world have established that the cleaning performance of washing powders based on stain removal, whiteness, and color fading improves if enzymes are added in right proportion. Their efficiency on several counts has been found better than the non-biological detergents. Apart from this, the enzymes in biological detergents enable effective cleaning at lower temperatures than required by normal detergents. Most biological detergents use one enzyme which acts on a particular food stuff but some use more than one enzyme. A biological detergent can contain a number of enzymes: α-amylase - to break down starch based stains; cellulase - to clean cotton by removing pilling fibers; protease - to break down protein stains, such as blood and gravy; lipase to get rid of oil and grease stains. Apart from this many other enzymes may also be added to the detergent to make it effective against a particular stain; pectate lyase, for instance, breaks down fruit stains which contain pectin; mannanase which removes stains caused by gum thickeners, which is found in some yogurts. The breakdown of protein and fat molecules is called hydrolysis. This simply means reaction with water. Many enzyme manufacturing companies are now making these detergent enzymes which are being used by detergent manufacturers to manufactuer their products. With the advent of biological detergents the competition in the detergent market is heating up and an aggressive price war is leading to cheaper detergents. In India, the use of biological detergents is in its initial years. It is likely to catch up as a number of companies are now aggressively marketing their biological detergents. Indeed this is good news for the customers who have now not only cheaper detergents but better options to choose from.
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