Fluidized bed low density granule
AssigneeGenencor International, Inc.
InventorDouglas A. Dale
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Low-density enzyme-carrying granules are low dusting and/or storage-stable, and especially suitable for use in liquid detergents and cleaners, such as non-aqueous liquid laundry detergents. Preferred granules of the invention include a relatively high content of one or more low-density fillers, such as perlite or starch, to provide a desired product density. In one embodiment, the granules have a true density within a range of from about 1 to about 1.4 g/cm3. The granules can be economically produced in commercial quantities using fluidized bed technology.
Claims18
An enzyme granule for use in liquid detergents, said granule having a multi-layered construction and comprising a plurality of components, including:
- (i) an inert particle,
- (ii) a low-density filler comprising starch perlite and sucrose, wherein a portion of the starch has been provided in a solublized form,
- (iii) an enzyme, and
- (iv) an outer coating surrounding said enzyme
- wherein said low-density filler is layered over the particle and comprises at least 20% of the weight of the enzyme granule and said enzyme is layered over the filler, wherein said granule has a true density of less than 1.4 g/cm3 and a retained activity of at least 50% in storage in liquid detergent for 3 weeks at 35° C.
An enzyme granule for use in liquid detergents, said granule having a multi-layered construction comprising,
- (i) an inert particle selected from the group consisting of inorganic salts, sugars and sugar alcohols;
- (ii) a low-density filler layered over the inert particle, wherein said filler comprises at least 20% of the weight of the granule and comprises starch, sucrose and perlite wherein a portion of the starch is provided in a solublized form;
- (iii) an enzyme layered over the filler layer;
- and
- (iv) an outer coating surrounding the enzyme layer
- wherein said enzyme granule has a true density of less than 1.4 g/cm3.
A method of making an enzyme granule, comprising:
- a) selecting an inert particle;
- b) coating the particle from step (a) in a fluidized-bed spray coater with a solution of cooked starch, sucrose and dry starch to obtain a layer of filler coated over the particle;
- c) coating the filler layer in a fluidized-bed spray costar with one or more enzymes to obtain an enzyme layer over the filler layer;
- and
- d) applying a suitable outer coating
- wherein said filler comprises at least 20% of the weight of the enzyme granule and said enzyme granule having a true density of less than 1.4 g/cm3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.