Amylase activity in Detergents

The detergents industry is the largest single market for enzymes. Several types of enzyme improve the washing performance of heavy-duty liquid detergents. While proteases are often the first enzyme class to come to mind when formulating a liquid detergent, amylases are the second for consideration. Amylases remove a variety of common food stains containing starch. If the starch is not degraded with an amylase, it tends to spread in the laundry and act as a strong dirt binder resulting in a less satisfactory wash result. The most frequently used enzymes in detergents are;

Proteases

Acts on stains containing proteins by degrading the proteins to peptides. Typical stains are blood, grass and soil at collars and cuffs.

Amylases

Acts on stains containing starch by degrading starch to short-chain sugars. Typical stains are sauces, gravy and ice-creams.

Lipases

Acts on soil containing oil and grease from food and body.

Cellulases

Acts on stains from dust and mud. They are especially good for cleaning clothes made from cellulosic fibers.

Besides from the cleanliness improvement, enzymes bring other benefits for the end user of the detergent. They are both efficient at low temperatures (active in the human body) and helps reducing the amount of strong chemicals to achieve similar result.

Phadebas Amylase test is used for the assessment of amylase by the major producers of detergent products and ingredients. The detergent industry is a growing segment in our business and we hope that more companies are willing to try Phadebas® Amylase Test as a quality control of their detergents. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at info@phadebas.com.