Detergent composition

Abstract

Use of a detergent composition comprising a fatty acid-transforming enzyme to impart suds longevity in a washing process. A method for promoting suds longevity in a washing process for washing soiled articles, comprising the step of: delivering a composition comprising a fatty acid-transforming enzyme to a volume of water to form a wash liquor and immersing the soiled article in the liquor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for promoting suds longevity in a washing process for washing soiled articles, comprising the step of: delivering a composition comprising a fatty acid-transforming enzyme to a volume of water to form a wash liquor and immersing the soiled article in the liquor, wherein the fatty acid transforming enzyme is selected from the group consisting of oleate hydratase, fatty acid lipoxygenase, fatty acid peroxygenase and/or fatty acid decarboxylase enzymes, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme is selected from the group consisting of oleate hydratase, fatty acid lipoxygenase, and/or fatty acid decarboxylase enzymes and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition is applied onto a cleaning implement; the cleaning implement is used to apply the composition to the soiled article and water is added to the soiled article and composition to form the wash liquor. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises from about 5 to about 80 wt % of the composition of a surfactant system. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme comprises an enzyme selected from the group consisting of E.C. classification numbers 1.11.2.3 (plant seed peroxygenase), 1.13.11.77 (oleate 10S lipoxygenase), 3.1.2.14 (oleoyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] hydrolase, 3.5.1.99 (fatty acid amide hydrolase), 4.2.1.53 (oleate hydratase) and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme comprises oleate hydratase having E.C. classification 4.2.1.53. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme comprises an oleic-acid transforming enzyme having at least about 60% identity to one or more of the wild type oleate hydratases selected from the group consisting of  Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, Macrococcus caseolyticus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium animalis  subsp.  lactis  (strain BB-12),  Lactobacillus plantarum  subsp.  plantarum  ST-III, and  Lactobacillus rhamnosus  LGG. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme is present in the composition in an amount from about 0.0001 wt % to about 1 wt % based on active protein. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme is present in the composition in an amount from about 0.001 to about 0.2 wt % based on active protein. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme is present in the wash liquor at a concentration of about 0.005 ppm to about 3.0 ppm. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 11  wherein the fatty acid-transforming enzyme is present in the aqueous wash liquor used at a concentration of about 0.02 ppm to about 0.5 ppm based on active protein. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the detergent composition comprises a surfactant system, said surfactant system comprising an amphoteric and/or a zwitterionic surfactant. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12  wherein said surfactant system comprising an amphoteric and/or a zwitterionic surfactant further comprises an anionic surfactant. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13  wherein the anionic surfactant and the amphoteric and/or the zwitterionic surfactant are in a weight ratio of less than about 9:1. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14  wherein the anionic surfactant and the amphoteric and/or and/or zwitterionic surfactant are in a weight ratio from about 5:1 to about 1:1. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 14  wherein the anionic surfactant and the amphoteric and/or zwitterionic surfactant are in a weight ratio from about 4:1 to about 2:1. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 12  wherein the amphoteric surfactant comprises an amine oxide surfactant and the zwitterionic surfactant comprises a betaine surfactant. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1  additionally comprising an enzyme stabilizer selected from the group of chemical and physical stabilisers, wherein a physical stabiliser may comprise encapsulated enzyme. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the detergent composition comprises chelant. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the detergent composition comprises chelant selected from amino carboxylate or amino phosphonate chelant such as MGDA, GLDA and mixtures thereof.