Washing at 20 degrees Celsius instead of 40, minimizing water consumption, and maximizing care. The requirements profile for high quality laundry detergents is becoming increasingly demanding. Ever better, new laundry detergent enzymes are the key to boosting performance. And this is why the hunt is on for tailor-made enzymes that perform outstandingly well even under extreme conditions.
Innovative biotechnological methods help to achieve two crucial goals – discovering new enzymes and developing more efficient production processes. The enzyme specialists at Henkel work with skilled partners to pursue these new development projects.

Finding buried treasure – with metagenome screening
New enzymes don’t have to be invented. The answers literally only have to be unearthed, because the soil itself is full of microorganisms. These microorganisms constantly produce proteins, including various enzymes. Stored in their genes are the “blueprints” for these proteins.
Mining such treasures is the goal of Henkel’s cooperation with the Biotechnology Research and Information Network AG (BRAIN) in Zwingenberg near Darmstadt. What makes the expertise of the scientists in Zwingenberg so special is that they are able to utilize the genetic information even of microorganisms that cannot be cultivated in the laboratory. The researchers isolate the genes for the sought-after enzymes straight from the soil sample, propagate them in the laboratory, and integrate them in microorganisms that are easy to cultivate. These then produce the desired enzymes. The potential of these still unstudied species is vast. By investigating the entire gene pool of these organisms – the metagenome – it is possible to identify enzymes that cannot be detected by classical screening methods. This process is known as metagenome screening.

Latest research results
One example of a successful search for high-performance enzymes is the story of the new low-temperature protease from Henkel. Here you can read more about this project, for which the research team was honored with Henkel’s internal Research/Technology Invention Award.

Enzyme production in living factories
Enzymes intended for use in laundry detergents have to be produced in appropriately large quantities. Find out more about enzyme production here.