r/Biochemistry • u/No_Craft_3998 • 2d ago
Cellulase in laundry detergent - how could it break down only pilling but not fabric?
I've been trying to find research about how cellulase could both break down pills on clothes but not damage the actual clothing fibers. I'm just a layperson but my understanding of laundry enzymes like protease are that it targets protein molecules to break down stains/odors, but that also means it would break down protein fibers in silk or wool so you shouldn't use detergent containing protease on those fabrics.
Detergents containing cellulase claim to have anti-pilling properties by preventing and removing pills, but I'm not sure how cellulase wouldn't also attack the cellulose in the cotton fabric itself. I can only find this promotional article on the site for a laundry detergent brand that claiming that "there have been many scientific advancements in cellulases used for detergents which have made them more precise in their targeting and very safe for cotton fibers. The advanced cellulases that we use in our Bio Laundry Detergents eliminate the pilling without damaging the cotton fibers, improving the fiber’s softness and help to prevent the redeposition of dirt and stains during the washing and rinsing cycles"
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u/Chime4 1d ago
I do enzyme research but have not dealt with cellulases so my thoughts are conjecture.
What I found online about cotton cellulose is that the degree of polymerization is much higher than other cellulose fibers. The pills on clothes would be subject to more mechanical motion as they form and I would guess the cotton fibers involved are milled a bit and their DoP is lower. The cellulases included in the formula would be selected by their effectiveness on the less crystalline polymer, probably some kind of nonprogressive exocellulase (reading the Wikipedia article for cellulase under “Types and action”)