The Application of a Nuclease Enzyme to Clean Stubborn Soils and Odors in Laundry

Abstract

The inclusion of a nuclease, a new‐to‐laundry enzyme class in detergent formulations, reduces the concentration of recalcitrant soils on dirty clothing. Nucleases target extracellular DNA that, albeit present in minor quantities in soiled laundry items, disproportionately contributes to the accumulation of sebaceous soils and other compounds that affect the appearance of clothes. These lingering soils accumulate over multiple wear cycles and provoke a dingy appearance in clothing, characterized by dull colors, yellow staining, and an unpleasant malodor. The single and continued use of a nuclease in detergent formulations offers increased removal of these recalcitrant soils to produce less malodorous and visually preferred textiles. Furthermore, the nuclease is effective across different detergent forms, as well as in cotton short washing cycles, enabling improved cleaning in more sustainable laundry washing conditions.

Removal of eDNA from fabrics using a novel laundry DNase revealed using high-resolution imaging

“…This eDNA not only serves as a source of nutrients for biofilm sustenance and growth 30 , but has recently been shown to have roles in the establishment and structural integrity of other biofilm components which contribute to recalcitrance of soils on textiles 6 , 31 . It is now becoming clear that eDNA is a critical component of the EPS matrix and that EPS on laundry are not efficiently being removed in current wash conditions, using non biological detergents to counteract these soils of microbial origin 18 .…”

“…40 °C for 30 min; typical European wash conditions), leave a lot of scope for improvement when it comes to tackling the sources of these undesirable characteristics 49 . Previous work has found that there are qualitative appearance benefits when adding DNase I for real consumer item cleaning; which translates into strong visual preferences for DNase I washed items 18 .…”

“…Further, the addition of DNase I has also been shown to significantly affect structural integrity of EPS biopolymers within Micrococcus luteus biofilms 6 . New work has since described the introduction of DNase I to target eDNA on textiles, which was shown to bring qualitative appearance benefits for real consumer items 18 . Taken together, we now understand eDNA as a key component for adhesion of other EPS components and for supporting EPS matrix formation.…”

“…Taken together, we now understand eDNA as a key component for adhesion of other EPS components and for supporting EPS matrix formation. Whilst it has previously been shown that targeting eDNA using DNase I is an effective tool for preventing malodor and improving visual appearance of laundry 18 , 19 ; it would be invaluable to also have a method for visualizing the eDNA removal benefit of DNase technology on real items. Imaging approaches have previously utilized histological stains and lectins to label cells, proteins, lipids and polysaccharides in bio-aggregates 20 – 23 , but these reagents lack the specificity required to confidently image eDNA.…”

“…This study describes our use of an imaging capability that complements existing DNA quantification methods, to allow us to measure and also visualize distribution of remaining DNA across threads and yarns of fabric and discriminate between superficial “surface” and “deep” hygienic cleaning performance. The use of DNase enzymes to remove eDNA from textiles will improve the sustainability of garment washing by maintaining high performance of detergent formulations even at low temperature cleaning cycles 18 , 19 .…”