Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Enzyme component of specific activity or source
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-11
2001-10-23
Kopec, Mark (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Enzyme component of specific activity or source
C510S530000, C510S226000, C510S320000, C510S321000, C435S198000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306813
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel lipase, to a microorganism producing it, to a method for producing it and to its use. More particularly, this invention relates to a lipase which has effective activity in a detergent solution in the presence of a bleaching agent or at low temperature, to a method for producing such lipase, and to a detergent composition containing such lipase.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
It is known to add a lipase to detergents so that lipids attached to an article to be cleaned can be decomposed and removed to increase washing efficiency. This use of lipases is described in, for example, H. Andree et al., “Lipase as detergent components,” Journal of Applied Biochemistry, 2, 218-229 (1980).
Preferred lipases for detergent components are those which show sufficient lipase activity in washing solutions under washing conditions. Under ordinary washing conditions, the pH of washing solutions is in the alkaline region and, hence, lipases which act at alkaline pH values are desired. Generally, lipid stains can be removed relatively easily under conditions of high temperatures and high alkalinity. However, it is also known that such stains are difficult to remove by washing at low temperatures (i.e., from the temperature of tap water up to 40° C.) as is carried out in some countries such as Japan.
Washing temperature tends to be decreased in Europe as well as in Japan where mainly low temperature washing has been performed. Therefore, preferred lipases for detergent components are those which act sufficiently at low temperatures.
Further, preferred lipases for detergent components are those whose action is not inhibited in the presence of detergent components such as surfactants, proteases or bleaching agents contained in most of detergents and which exhibit sufficient effects with a single washing run. Furthermore, preferred lipases for detergent components are those which are stable when stored as blended in the detergents. There has been a keen desire for the development of detergent compositions containing lipases having the above-described preferred properties and having high washing effect.
Lipases are known to be produced by microorganisms belonging to the genera Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter, Acinetobacter, Mucor, Candida, Humicola, Aspergillius, etc. However, most of the lipases produced by these microorganisms have optimum pH in the ranges of from neutral to weakly alkaline and, hence, the lipases do not act sufficiently in alkaline detergent solutions and have low stability in detergent solutions. Furthermore, some of these lipases are strongly inhibited in the presence of surfactants.
WO 87/00859 (Gist-Brocades) describes that some lipases produced by bacteria belonging to the genera Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter are effective in washing with anionic and nonionic detergents, respectively, and that such lipases are also effective in washing with a nonionic detergent containing a bleaching agent. However, the publication contains no mention of their effects in washing with anionic detergents containing a bleaching agent.
EP 271 152 (Unilever) discloses the use of a certain class of lipases together with strong bleaching agents in detergent compositions. The class of lipases includes, inter alia, some lipases from Pseudomonas.
WO 94/25578 (Genencor) discloses mutant enzymes of wild-type Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes lipase. The mutant enzymes have improved wash performance in a detergent which contains a bleaching agent.
Further, in those regions where people conduct washing at a tap water temperature without warming, e.g., in Japan, the washing temperature may be decreased sometimes, e.g., in winter season, to below 5° C. However, none of the above-described publications describes lipases which are sufficiently effective at low temperatures as low as below 5° C. nor detergent composition containing such lipases.
It is the object of this invention to provide a lipase having a sufficient washing effect at washing conditions used at present and in the future. More particularly, it is the object to provide a lipase which exhibits superior washing effect in detergents containing a bleaching agent or in washing at low temperatures.
STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
With a view to overcoming the above-described problems, the present inventors have conducted screening by isolating and cultivating various microorganisms, and as a result they found that bacterial strains, representative examples of which include strains SD711, SD712, SD713, SD714, SD715, SD716, SD717, and SD718, can produce new lipases meeting the above-described requirements. Also, they have found that the lipases from these microorganisms share some characteristics which contribute to the washing performance and which known lipases do not share. This invention is achieved based on this discovery.
Accordingly, this invention provides a lipase having one or more of the following properties:
an optimum temperature of at least 40° C.
an activity at 1° C. which is at least 20% of the activity at 30° C.
an activity measured in a solution containing 0.02% sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) using an olive oil emulsion as a substrate which is at least 20% of the activity in the absence of LAS
a decomposition rate of p-nitrophenyl palmitate in a solution containing 0.046% LAS at 25° C. in the presence of 0.5% hydrogen peroxide of at least 80% of the decomposition rate in the absence of hydrogen peroxide
a residual activity after incubation in a solution containing 0.05% LAS and 0.55% hydrogen peroxide at 25° C. for 1 hour, which is at least 50% of the activity before the incubation;
a decomposition rate of p-nitrophenyl palmitate in a solution at 25° C. containing 0.2% LAS which is at least 50% of the decomposition rate in a solution containing 0.02% LAS.
an optimum pH not lower than 11.
The invention also provides a bacterium capable of producing the lipase, a ethod for producing the lipase, and a detergent composition comprising the lipase.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereafter, this invention will be described in detail.
Lipase-producing Microorganisms
Microorganisms which can be used for producing the lipase of this invention are not limited particularly. Such microorganisms can be selected from strain collections or newly isolated microorganisms occurring in nature, including spontaneous or artificial mutants of these strains, provided they have the ability to produce a lipase having the following characteristics.
Examples of bacterial strains belonging to the genus Pseudomonas which produce a lipase of this invention include strains SD711 to SD717 which the present inventors isolated from the soil. Bacterial characteristics of these strains were compared with similar
Pseudomonas stutzeri
, and
Pseudomonas mendocina, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes
with reference to the literature ((1) Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, Ninth Edition (1994) and (2) Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol. 1 (1984)) in Table 1, below.
TABLE 1
Strain
SD711
SD712
SD713
SD714
SD715
SD716
SD717
s
m
a
p
Morphology
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
rod
Gram stain
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
Spore
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
Mobility
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Flagella
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
p.m.
Oxygen requirement
aer.
Aer.
aer.
aer.
aer.
Aer.
aer.
aer.
aer.
aer.
Aer.
Oxidase
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Production of fluorochrome
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
Production of water-soluble
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
pigment
Accumulation of PHB
+
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
Arginine dihydrolase
+
−
&mi
Boyer Charles
Garbell Esq. Jason I.
Kopec Mark
Lambiris Esq. Elias J.
Novozymes A/S
LandOfFree
Alkaline lipase and detergent composition active at low... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Alkaline lipase and detergent composition active at low..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Alkaline lipase and detergent composition active at low... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2594479