Enhancing Alkaline Protease Stability through Enzyme-Catalyzed Crosslinking and Its Application in Detergents

Abstract

Enzymatic additives, particularly alkaline proteases, play a crucial role in enhancing detergent effectiveness against protein-based stains. Despite advancements in enzyme stabilization techniques, there is a need for innovative strategies to further improve protease stability in laundry detergents. However, research exploring the utilization of substrate imprinting technology to achieve this objective remains limited. Therefore, this study aims to enhance the stability of alkaline proteases in laundry detergents by employing casein as an imprinting substrate and utilizing transglutaminase-mediated (TGase) crosslinking to modify proteases 102 and 306. The optimal temperature, pH, and thermal stability of the modified alkaline proteases 102 and 306 showed no significant changes. However, these two modified alkaline proteases exhibited varying degrees of improvement in stability among the 14 detergent additives tested. Under 40 °C incubation for 24 h, the relative enzyme activity of modified alkaline protease 102 increased approximately 1.4–15-fold in AEO-9, BS-12, CMI, APG, FMEE, and SOE, while the relative enzyme activity of modified alkaline protease 306 increased approximately 1.2–3.7-fold across different additives (FMEE, AEO-9, BS-12, SOE, FAA, and AEC-9Na). These modified proteases demonstrated improved stability and wider applicability across commercial detergent formulations available. Integrated into standard laundry detergent at a 1:7 ratio before and after modification, they effectively removed protein stains from the cotton fabric after 24 h of 40 °C incubation. These findings provide insights into more effective stain-removal techniques.