Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Enzyme component of specific activity or source
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-04
2004-03-09
Douyon, Lorna M. (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Enzyme component of specific activity or source
C510S305000, C510S300000, C510S255000, C510S276000, C435S209000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06703357
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to compositions for cleaning hard surfaces, more particularly tableware, which contain &bgr;-glucanase to improve their cleaning performance.
Enzymes, especially proteases, lipases and amylases, are widely used in laundry detergents, washing aids and dishwashing detergents. They are primarily used to remove protein, fatty and starch soils.
In connection with polysaccharide soils, there is the problem that naturally occurring polysaccharides, for example as present in foods, do not normally consist solely of starch, but also contain other saccharides or differently linked saccharides. Whereas &agr;-amylases intended for use in dishwashing detergents are generally very suitable for hydrolyzing the starch component of polysaccharide soils into water-soluble oligosaccharides, their soil removal capacity can be unsatisfactory when the soils in question are soils of other polysaccharides or when these other polysaccharides make up relatively large parts of the polysaccharide soils. Thus, unrefined or low-refined cereals in particular, for example oat flakes, muesli, corn flakes or whole grain dough, contain relatively large amounts of glucans and lichenans which lead to obstinate soils on tableware which has come into contact with them.
The problem addressed by the present invention was to remedy this situation and to provide a composition suitable for cleaning hard surfaces, for example for cleaning tableware, particularly in dishwashing machines, which would have an improved cleaning performance with respect to polysaccharide soils.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, which is intended to solve the problem stated above, relates to a composition suitable for cleaning hard surfaces, particularly tableware, which contains a &bgr;-glucanase in addition to typical ingredients compatible with this enzyme.
&bgr;-Glucanases in the context of the present invention are enzymes from the class of endo-1,3-1,4-&bgr;-D-glucan-4-glucanohydrolases (EC 3.2.1.73; lichenases). &bgr;-Glucanases in the context of the invention also include endo-1,3-&bgr;-D-glucosidases (EC 3.2.1.39; laminarinases). &bgr;-Glu-canases cleave mixed glucans, which are linked alternately by 1,3- and 1,4-&bgr;-glucoside bonds, into oligosaccharides. Polymeric mixed glucans such as these are present in varying amounts in virtually all cereal products. Hitherto, enzymes capable of cleaving them have been used above all in the food, beverage and animal feed industry, in the textile industry and in the processing of starch (R. Borriss, “&bgr;-Glucan-spaltende Enzyme”, in H. Ruttloff: “Industrielle Enzyme”, Chapter 11.5, Behr's Verlag, Hamburg, 1994).
&bgr;-Glucanases suitable for use in accordance with the invention are obtainable from microorganisms, for example
Achromobacter lunatus, Athrobacter luteus, Aspergillus aculeatus, Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, Disporotrichum dimorphosporum, Humicola insolens, Penicillium emersonli, Penicillium funiculosum
or
Trichodenna reesei.
A commercial product is marketed, for example, under the name of Cereflo® (manufacturer: Novo Nordisk A/S). Preferred &bgr;-Glucanases include an enzyme obtainable from
Bacillus alkalophilus
(DSM 9956) which is the subject of hitherto unpublished German patent application DE 197 32 751.
&bgr;-Glucanase is preferably incorporated in compositions according to the invention in such quantities that they have glucanolytic activities of 0.05 U/g to 1 U/g and more particularly in the range from 0.06 U/g to 0.25 U/g. The determination of the glucanolytic activity is based on modifications of the process described by M. Lever in Anal. Biochem. 47 (1972), 273-279 and Anal Biochem. 81 (1977), 21-27. A 0.5% by weight solution of &bgr;-glucan (Sigma No. G6513) in 50 mM glycine buffer (pH 9.0) is used for this purpose. 250 &mgr;l of this solution are added to 250 &mgr;l of a solution containing the agent to be tested for glucanolytic activity and incubated for 30 minutes at 40° C. 1.5 ml of a 1% by weight solution of p-hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazide (PAHBAH) in 0.5 M NaOH, which contains 1 mM bismuth nitrate and 1 mM potassium sodium tartrate, are then added, after which the solution is heated for 10 minutes to 70° C. After cooling (2 minutes/0° C.), the absorption at 410 nm is determined against a blank value at room temperature (for example with a Uvikon® 930 photometer) using a glucose calibration curve. The blank value is a solution which is prepared in the same way as the measuring solution except that the glucan solution is added after the PAHBAH solution. 1 U corresponds to the quantity of enzyme which produces 1 &mgr;mole of glucose per minute under these conditions.
The present invention also relates to the use of &bgr;-glucanase for removing polysaccharide soils from hard surfaces, particularly tableware, and to a process for removing polysaccharide soils from hard surfaces, particularly tableware, by using &bgr;-glucanase. For the use according to the invention and for the process according to the invention, the &bgr;-glucanase may be applied to polysaccharide-soiled tableware either on its own or as part of a pretreatment composition in the course of a pretreatment step preceding the dishwashing process. However, the &bgr;-glucanase is preferably used as part of an aqueous cleaning solution which may additionally contain typical ingredients of cleaning or dishwashing liquors. Glucanolytic activities of 0.1 U/l to 6 U/l and, more particularly, 0.15 U/l to 1.5 U/l in the aqueous cleaning solution are preferred. In manual or more particularly machine dishwashing processes, for example in routine domestic washing-up using dishwashing machines, the glucanolytic activities mentioned do not have to be maintained over the entire washing cycle to achieve the required washing result providing it is guaranteed that a glucanolytic activity in the range mentioned prevails for at least a short time, for example for about 1 to 20 minutes and more particularly 5 to 15 minutes.
&bgr;-Glucanase may be adsorbed onto supports and/or encapsulated in shell-forming substances to protect it against premature inactivation, particularly where it is used in particulate compositions as described, for example, in European patent EP 0 564 476 or in International patent applications WO 94123005 for other enzymes.
Since the cleaning performance of amylolytic and &bgr;-glucanolytic enzymes, especially in dishwashing detergents, is unexpectedly increased when they are used in combination, a composition according to the invention preferably contains at least one amylase in addition to &bgr;-glucanase. A composition according to the invention is distinguished in particular by an amylolytic activity of about 0.5 U/g to about 3 U/g and, more particularly, in the range from about 1 U/g to about 2 U/g. The amylase activity is determined by a method similar to the standardarized method described above for the glucanase activity using soluble starch instead of glucan.
Besides the &bgr;-glucanase used in accordance with the invention, the compositions according to the invention—which may be present as granules, powder-form or tablet-form solids, as homogeneous solutions or suspensions—may in principle contain any known ingredients typically encountered in such compositions. More particularly, the detergents according to the invention may contain builders, surfactants, bleaching agents based on organic and/or inorganic peroxygen compounds, bleach activators, water-miscible organic solvents, additional enzymes, sequestering agents, electrolytes, pH regulators and/or other auxiliaries, such as silver corrosion inhibitors, foam regulators and dyes and perfumes.
In addition, a composition according to the invention for cleaning hard surfaces may contain abrasive ingredients, more especially from the group consisting of silica flours, wood flours, polymer powders, chalks and glass microbeads and mixtures thereof. Abrasives are present in the compositions according to the invention in quantities of preferably not more than
Maurer Karl-Heinz
Nitsch Christian
Douyon Lorna M.
Elhilo Eisa B
Harper Stephen D.
Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
Murphy Glenn E. J.
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