Improved industrial enzymes in unlimited quantity |
|---|
Lipase fights fatty stains
Another problematic area in textile cleaning is the removal of fatty stains. As early as 1988 the company Novo Nordisk developed a lipase, an enzyme capable of dissolving fatty stains. This enzyme is produced naturally by a selected strain of the fungus Humicola, but quantities are too low for commercial application. Traditional methods to increase yield proved unsuccessful, so the gene coding for this lipase was cloned and inserted into the fungus Aspergillus oryzae. This fungus now produces the enzyme in commercially relevant yields so that it can be used in detergents, allowing better washing performances and energy savings.