Detergent compositions with high activity cellulase and softening clays

• US 5,443,750 A
• Filed: 07/15/1993
• Issued: 08/22/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Convents, Andre, Baeck, Andre C., Busch, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Wax, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, William W.
• Application Number:
  US08/090,013
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 435/183, 435/200, 435/209, 435/69.1, 435/252.33, 435/320.1, 566/23.2, 252/174.12, 252/180, 210/696-701
• US Class Current: 510/322
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/14 derived from aliphatic hydrocarbons or mono-alcohols
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/22 derived from aromatic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/62 Quaternary ammonium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/065 High-density particulate detergent compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/1253 Layer silicates, e.g. talcum, kaolin, clay, bentonite, smectite, montmorillonite, hectorite or attapulgite
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/38645 containing cellulase
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2437 Cellulases (3.2.1.4; 3.2.1.74; 3.2.1.91; 3.2.1.150)
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 302/01004 Cellulase (3.2.1.4), i.e. endo-1,4-beta-glucanase

Abstract

The present invention relates to detergent compositions comprising a high activity cellulase in combination with a softening clay. In the detergent compositions herein, the cellulase comprises a cellulase of high activity defined by the C14CMC-method. Preferably the detergent composition comprises a softening clay together with a clay flocculating agent and in case of liquid composition an anti-settling agent for the clay.

Claims

1. A detergent composition comprising a surface active agent, a builder system, a softening clay, a clay flocculating agent in an amount from about 0.005% to 20% by weight of said clay, and a cellulase characterized in that said cellulase provides at least 10% removal of immobilized, radio-active labelled carboxylmethylcellulose according to the C14CMC-method at 25×

10^-6 % by weight of cellulase protein in the laundry test solution.

2. A detergent composition according to claim 1 characterized in that the cellulase compound consists essentially of a homogenous endoglucanase component which is immunoreactive with an antibody raised against a highly purified, about 43 kD cellulase derived from Humicola insolens, DSM 1800.

3. A detergent composition according to claim 2 wherein the endoglucanase component of said cellulase has an isoelectric point of about 5.1.

4. A detergent composition according to claim 2 wherein said endoglucanase component is produced by a method comprising cultivating a host cell transformed with a recombinant DNA vector carrying a DNA sequence encoding said endoglucanase component or a precursor of said endoglucanase component, as well as DNA sequences encoding functions permitting the expression of the DNA sequence encoding the endoglucanase component, or a precursor thereof, in a culture medium under conditions permitting the expression of the endoglucanase component or precursor thereof and recovering the endoglucanase component from the culture.

5. A detergent composition according to claim 1 characterized in that the cellulase compound is an endoglucanase enzyme having the amino acid sequence shown in the appended listing SEQ ID NO:

2.

6. A detergent composition according to claim 1 wherein said endoglucanase enzyme is produced by Fusarium oxysporum.

7. A detergent composition according to claim 6 characterized in that the cellulase compound is an endoglucanase enzyme having an amino acid sequence shown in the appended sequence listing SEQ ID NO:

4.

8. A detergent composition according to claim 5, 7 or 6 wherein said enzyme is produced by a DNA construct comprising a DNA sequence encoding the enzyme.

9. A detergent composition according to claim 8 wherein the DNA sequence is shown as appended sequence listing SEQ ID NO:

1 or SEQ ID NO;

3.

10. A detergent composition according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 wherein said host cell is a strain of a fungus such as Tricloderuca or Aspergillus, preferably Aspergillus oryzae or Asperugillus niger, or a yeast cell belonging to a strain of Hansenula or Saccharomyces, e.g. a strain of Saccachomyces cerevisae.

11. A detergent composition according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 wherein said host cell is a strain of a bacterium, e.g. Bacillus, Streptomyces or E. coli.

12. A detergent composition according to claim 1 characterized in that said cellulase is present in an amount such that the amount of enzyme protein delivered to the wash solution is 0.005 to 40 mg/liter of wash solution, preferably 0.01 to 10 mg/liter of wash solution.

13. A detergent composition according to claim 1 characterized in that the amount of softening clay is from 0.5% to 50%, by weight of the detergent composition.

14. A detergent composition according to claim 1 or 13 characterized in that said softening clay is a smectite, clay with a cation exchange capacity of at least 50 meq/100 g.

15. A detergent composition according to claim 1 or 13 characterized in that it further comprises up to 50% of said clay of said detergent composition of a substituted polysiloxane.

16. A detergent composition according to claim 1 which is a granular detergent.

17. A detergent composition according to claim 16 wherein said composition contains no more than 15% by weight of inorganic filler salt and having a density of 550 to 950 g/liter of composition.

18. A detergent composition according to claim 17 wherein said inorganic filler salt is selected from alkali and alkaline-earth metal salts of sulphate and chloride.

19. A detergent composition in accordance with claim 17 which does not contain more than 10% by weight of inorganic filler salt.

20. A detergent composition in accordance with claim 19 which does not contain more than 5% by weight of inorganic filler salt.

21. A detergent composition according to claim 17, 18, 19, or 20 which has a density of 650 to 850 g/liter.

22. A detergent composition according to claim 1 which is substantially free of phosphate compounds and wherein said builder comprises polycarboxylate polymers and further comprises compounds selected from aluminosilicate ion exchangers, citrates, carbonates and mixtures thereof.

23. A detergent composition according to claim 13 wherein the amount of softening clay is from 5% to 20% by weight.

24. A detergent composition according to claim 23 wherein in amount of softening clay is from 8% to 15% by weight.

25. A detergent composition according to claim 14 wherein the smectite clay is a montmorillonite or hectorite clay.

26. A detergent composition according to claim 15 wherein said substituted polysiloxane is present at a level of 0.1% to 20% by weight of said clay.