Alkaline detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase

Details Alkaline detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase Alkaline detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase

2000-01-11

2001-02-13

Fries, Kery (Department: 1751)

Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions

Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing

Enzyme component of specific activity or source

C510S302000, C510S305000, C510S306000, C510S320000, C510S348000, C510S375000, C510S530000, C510S446000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06187740

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to granular bleach-containing laundry detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase and having a 1% solution pH between 7.5 and 10.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Detergent compositions include nowadays a complex combination of active ingredients which fulfill certain specific needs: a surfactant system, enzymes providing cleaning and fabric care benefits, bleaching agents, a builder system, suds suppressors, soil-suspending agents, soil-release agents, optical brighteners, softening agents, dispersants, dye transfer inhibition compounds, abrasives, bactericides, perfumes, and their overall performance has indeed improved over the years. In particular, current detergent formulations generally include detergent enzymes and more specifically cellulases.
The activity of cellulase is one in which cellulosic fibres or substrates are hydrolysed by the cellulase and depending on the particular function of the cellulase, which can be endo- or exo-cellulase and the respective hemicellulases. The cellulose structures are depolymerized or cleaved into smaller and thereby more soluble or dispersible fractions. This activity in particular on fabrics provides a cleaning, rejuvenation, softening and generally improved handfeel characteristics to the fabric structure.
The efficiency of cellulytic enzymes, i.e. cellulases, in terms of textile cleaning and harshness-reducing agent for fabrics has been recognized for some time; Wo 89/09259, GB-A-2,075,028, GB-A-2,095,275 and GB-A-2,094,826, disclose detergent compositions with cellulase for improved cleaning performance; GB-A-1,368,599 discloses the use of cellulase for reducing the harshness of cotton-containing fabrics; U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,307 teaches the use of a cellulytic enzyme derived from Humicola insolens as well as a fraction thereof, designated ACXI, as a harshness-reducing detergent additive.
EP-A-0 269 168 discloses optimized detergent compositions containing cellulase, which are formulated at a mild alkaline pH range and provide combined fabric cleaning, fabric softening, and fabric care performance.
Specific cellulases suitable for the present invention have been described in WO91/17244 wherein single-component enzymes selected for high specific activity are described and wherein an enzyme capable of degrading cellulose or hemicellulose is disclosed.
Also suitable are the cellulolytic enzymes covered in W095/02675 which describes a detergent composition comprising two cellulase components : a first cellulase component having a retaining-type activity and being capable of particulate soil removal and a second cellulase component having multiple domains comprising at least one non-catalytical domain attached to a catalytic domain and being capable of colour clarification wherein at least one of the cellulase components is a single component. Said enzymatic detergent composition is capable of providing both sufficient colour clarification and particulate soil removal which, after a limited number of washing cycles, neither damage nor partly degrade the cellulose-containing fabric.
Suitable cellulases are the EGIII cellulases from
Trichoderma longibrachiatum
described in WO94/21801, Genencor, published Sep. 29, 1994.
Current granular bleach-containing laundry detergent compositions possess a pH 1% solution of about 10.5 allowing maximum bleach performance via optimum perhydrolysis obtained at said pH. The cleaning performance of such bleach-containing laundry detergent compositions is known to diminish with the reduction of pH. A lower pH is nevertheless necessary to obtain full enzymatic performance of cellulase containing detergents.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to formulate a granular bleach-containing laundry detergent composition combining the cleaning benefits of the bleaching agents together with the enzymatic cleaning performance of cellulase in order to provide superior cleaning and whiteness performance benefits.
It has been surprisingly found that granular bleach-containing laundry detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase and having a 1% solution pH between 7.5 and 10, provide optimum cleaning and whiteness performance benefits.
Indeed, it is believed that said optimised pH enhances the specific cellulase performance while not drastically reducing the bleach cleaning and whiteness performance benefits. The slight reduction in cleaning performance due to a slight reduction in the perhydrolysis rate is compensated with an increased enzymatic performance and a reduced darkening of the bleach sensitive stains at lower pH.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to granular bleach-containing laundry detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase and having a 1% solution pH between 7.5 and 10, thereby providing superior cleaning and whiteness performance benefit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The Specific Cellulase
An essential element of the present invention is a specific cellulase generally comprised into the laundry detergent compositions of the present invention at a level of from 0.0001% to 2%, more preferably of from 0.0005% to 0.05%, most preferably of from 0.001% to 0.01% pure enzyme by weight of total composition.
The specific cellulases suitable for the present invention are obtained from a fungal strain, preferably from the following organisms:
Humicola isolens
or
Trichoderma longibrachiatum
, reseei or viride. The specific cellulases are further characterised by having an optimum pH ranging from 4 to 10 and having no Cellulose Binding Domains (CBD). The term CBD intends to indicate an amino acid sequence capable of effective binding of the cellulase to a cellulosic substrate.
It has been surprisingly found that granular bleach-containing laundry detergent compositions comprising a specific cellulase and having a 1% solution pH between 7.5 and 10, provide optimum cleaning and whiteness performance benefits.
Examples of cellulase components which may be usable in the present invention are:
An endoglucanase component which is immunoreactive with an antibody raised against a highly purified
~
50 kD endoglucanase derived from
Humicola insolens
, DSM 1800, or which is a homologue or derivative of the
~
50 kD endoglucanase exhibiting cellulase activity; a preferred endoglucanase component has the amino acid sequence disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. WO91/17244, or an endoglucanase component which is immunoreactive with an antibody raised against a highly purified
~
50 kD (apparent molecular weight, the amino acid composition corresponds to 45 kD with 2n glycosylation sites) endoglucanase derived from
Fusarium oxysporum
, DSM 2672, or which is a homologue or derivative of the
~
50 kD endoglucanase exhibiting cellulase activity; a preferred endoglucanase component has the amino acid sequence disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. WO91/17244. More preferred is the cellulase derived from
Humicola insolens
, DSM 1800, having an approximate molecular weight of about 50 kDa, an iso-electric point of about 5.5 and containing 415 amino acids.
The endoglucanase may be derived or isolated and purified from microorganisms which are known to be capable of producing cellulolytic enzymes, e.g. species of Humicola, Bacillus, Trichederma, Fusarium, Myceliophtora, Phanerochaete, Schizophyllum, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Geotricum. The derived components may be either homologous or heterologous components. Preferably, the components are homologous. However, a heterologous component which is immunoreactive with an antibody raised against a highly purified cellulase component possessing the desired property or properties and which heterologous component is derived from a specific microorganism is also preferred.
Such as described in WO95102675, another suitable endoglucanase component has the amino acid sequence disclosed therein in the appended SEQ ID NO:2 or in WO91/17244, FIGS. 14A-E, or a variant of said endoglucanase having an amino acid sequence being at least 60%, preferably at least 70%, more prefe

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