Edinburgh Napier University

  Solid detergents, such as laundry sheets represent an excellent way to reduce water, waste, storage and transport costs, and packaging. However the manufacturing process of the sheet involves exposure to elevated temperatures to remove the water. This precludes the use of enzymes to aid the detergent during use since these are denatured and rendered inactive during the heating process. Mercel has developed a product ‘Algumer’ which is known to encapsulate and protect enzymes from environmental stress within a suspension. This raises the possibility that when incorporated into the laundry sheet this will allow for enzymes to remain active after exposure to elevated temperatures. This is the subject of this application and a positive result would have significant disruptive commercial potential for solid cleaning products, and many other applications for soluble films to release active ingredients.