Enzyme applications in detergency and in manufacturing industries

Applications of enzymes in industrial and food processes have undergone remarkable developments in several areas in the last 10-20 years: detergent, textile, grain wet milling, food, monogastric animal feed, pulp & paper, leather, natural polymer modifications, organic chemical synthesis, diagnostics, etc. Recombinant DNA technology and protein engineering are currently the main technologies in the design and production of new industrial enzymes, because they allow to reach high production yields of purified products at competitive costs and to design new enzymes with novel properties well adapted to industrial conditions. Of the major classes of enzymes, about 80% of current industrial enzymes are hydrolases (e.g., carbohydrolases, esterases) and are extracellularly produced for ease of downstream recovery after fermentation. In recent years, a few oxidoreductases have been commercially introduced (e.g., catalase, peroxidase, laccase) and even one lyase (pectate lyase for raw cotton bioscouring). In this review, we give an overview of enzyme applications in: detergency, textile and leather, which are the three areas that represent the majority of industrial enzyme uses. In detergency, enzymes contribute to the highly efficient removal of stains made of proteins, starch and grease from garments and fabrics, thereby enhancing the action of surfactants and improving the performance of the washing process. In the textile industry, cellulases, amylases, proteases, catalases, pectin lyase, peroxidase and laccase, have all become enzymes commonly used in textile mills, dyehouses and industrial laundries. In tanneries' application of proteases at the bating step to soften the hides and prepare them for tanning has been a key step in leather making ever since ancient times. A vast range of proteases is now available for soaking, bating and for unhairing raw hides, and of lipases for degreasing.