Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Auxiliary compositions for cleaning – or processes of preparing – Enzyme composition
Patent
1996-02-07
1998-09-01
Lieberman, Paul
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Auxiliary compositions for cleaning, or processes of preparing
Enzyme composition
435188, C11D 3386
Patent
active
058011404
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to anhydrous dispersions of enzymes, their production and their use, especially, in the manufacture of liquid detergents.
Enzymes are generally produced commercially as a liquid concentrate, frequently derived from a fermentation broth. The enzyme tends to be destabilised if it remains in an aqueous environment and so it is conventional practice to convert it to an anhydrous form. For instance the concentrate may be spray dried in the presence of a polymeric binder that binds the dried enzyme particles into aggregates. It is necessary to avoid the enzyme being in the form of very fine powder, for instance below 20 .mu.m, because of environmental and handling difficulties associated with finely powdered enzyme.
It is frequently desired to use the enzyme in the form of a liquid composition, for instance a liquid detergent when the enzyme is of a type that is usefully incorporated in a detergent. One conventional way of incorporating the enzyme into the detergent is by forming a slurry of spray dried enzyme in a liquid surfactant and incorporating this slurry with the other components of the liquid detergent. It is inconvenient to have to spray dry the enzyme initially, and the formulation and use of the slurry is also inconvenient.
International Patent Publication WO92/01775 discloses a method of preparation of a liquid enzyme formulation. The formulation is prepared by means of a precipitation technique. Powdered enzyme is dissolved in an organic water miscible solvent and precipitated using a surfactant. This method however has the above-described disadvantages associated with handling powdered enzymes.
We described in EP-A-356,239 and 356,240 various processes for handling enzymes and formulating them for use in, for instance, liquid detergents. These processes include processes in which a fermentation broth concentrate that contains enzyme is emulsified into an aliphatic hydrocarbon liquid containing a polymeric stabiliser under conditions to give a particle size of, for instance, below 3 .mu.m and the resultant dispersion of aqueous enzyme droplets in hydrocarbon is subjected to azeotroping to form a stable dispersion of substantially anhydrous particles in hydrocarbon liquid. It is stated in EP-A-356,239 that the liquid compositions described in that can be incorporated into liquid detergent concentrates. The enzyme concentration in the detergent will always be low.
This results in the hydrocarbon liquid being carried into the detergent concentrate and this is undesirable.
Other processes for providing a stable dispersion of substantially anhydrous biologically produced material in a non-aqueous liquid are described in EP-A-128,661 and 284,367.
All the described processes that involve emulsification of an aqueous phase into a non-aqueous liquid depend for their success on the formation of a stable dispersion of the aqueous particles and, subsequently, the dry particles. Stability is achieved in those processes at least in part by using a liquid phase which is wholly immiscible with the aqueous phase (since otherwise the aqueous phase will tend to dissolve into it and form a solution rather than a fine emulsion).
It would be desirable to be able to provide conveniently a stable dispersion concentrate of anhydrous enzyme that could easily be incorporated into, for instance, a liquid detergent without loading the detergent with unwanted hydrocarbon or other water immiscible liquid.
According to the invention a stable fluid enzyme dispersion or a composition meltable to form such a dispersion is made by a process comprising the presence of a polymeric dispersion-stabiliser to form a stable dispersion of aqueous enzyme particles having a dry size below about 30 .mu.m dispersed in the liquid, and distillation an organic liquid which is less volatile than the water immiscible liquid and which is selected from surfactants and water-miscible liquids is added to the dispersion and the water-immiscible liquid is distilled from the dispersion until the amount of the initial water immiscible
REFERENCES:
patent: 4115292 (1978-09-01), Richardson et al.
patent: 5324445 (1994-06-01), Langley et al.
patent: 5460817 (1995-10-01), Langley et al.
patent: 5492646 (1996-02-01), Langley et al.
patent: 5589370 (1996-12-01), Ratuiste et al.
Langley John Graham
Mistry Kishor Kumar
Symes Kenneth Charles
Allied Colloids Limited
Hardee John R.
Lieberman Paul
LandOfFree
Enzyme dispersions, their production and compositions containing does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Enzyme dispersions, their production and compositions containing, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Enzyme dispersions, their production and compositions containing will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-270217