Improving Protease Stability in Liquid Detergents by Protein Engineering

Enzymes have been used to improve the cleaning efficiency and fabric care benefits of detergents for several years, and areEnzymes have been used to improve the cleaning efficiency and fabric care benefits of detergents for several years, and arenow well accepted as ingredients in a wide range of product formats. The main challenge with enzymes in laundry detergentsis that they can lose activity over time. With the global rise of liquid laundry detergents, formulators need to balance the shelfstability of the enzymes against destabilizing effects of anionic surfactants and other chemicals. Recently, much effort has beeninvested to improve enzyme stability by means of protein engineering. This article reports on the development of a structurallystable protease that opens up avenues for the formulator to improve the aged cleaning performance of the liquid detergent oruse alternative chemical stabilizers.