The chemical reactions essential for life can all be performed in the laboratory under conditions such as refluxing solvents, high temperatures, extremes of pH, excesses of certain reagents, and long reaction times. However, these conditions do not exist within a living organism. To survive, an organism must be able to perform these same chemical reactions efficiently under the relatively mild conditions found within a living cell. The solution to this apparent dichotomy is the use of enzymes.
Enzymes are biological catalysts. These long-chain proteins are composed on the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. Each enzyme is specific for a single reaction. The 3-dimensional structure of the enzyme gives the enzyme its functionality and specificity. The reactant(s) fit together with the enzyme in what is often referred to as a “lock and key mechanism”. Once the desired reaction has occurred, the product(s) of the reaction disengage from the enzyme. As with all catalysts, enzymes are not consumed in the reaction, so the same enzyme molecule can be used multiple times for the same reaction. It is this ability to allow reactions to occur under relatively mild conditions and the fact that the enzyme is not consumed or altered during the process, which makes enzymes so desired in cleaning products. A small amount of enzyme can contribute a significant boost to cleaning performance.
There are three common classes of enzymes which are used in cleaning products: proteases cleave the amide bonds of proteins, creating smaller peptides and single amino acids; lipases cleave the ester bonds of fats (triacyl glycerols), creating free fatty acids and glycerol; and amylases cleave long chain carbohydrates into smaller oligosaccharides. In each case, the smaller reaction products are more water soluble than the initial material, and thus the enzyme contributes to soil removal from the surface being cleaned.
It should be noted that the use of enzymes is not compatible with harsh cleaning chemicals like hypochlorites and caustics because these strong chemicals can attack the enzyme resulting in loss of its 3-dimensional structure and thus its catalytic ability. Fortunately, the use of enzymes not only requires milder conditions, but also allows for comparable, and in some cases superior, cleaning results under these same conditions.