The Role of Enzymes in Industrial Cleaning Processes

Effective cleaning is an essential practice in the industrial manufacturing sector to maximize operational efficiency and uptime of production equipment while preventing the accumulation of debris or soil buildup. Failure to maintain proper cleaning practices can lead to increased downtime, production delays, and worst-case scenarios like product quality issues. The industry employs several cleaning procedures, including clean-in-place (CIP), clean-out-of-place (COP), and open plant cleaning, each of which has specific parameters and practices that must be observed for efficient and safe cleaning. 

A wide variety of chemical solutions such as solvent, acidic, alkaline, or disinfectant-based solutions are available to tackle cleaning needs. In recent years, enzyme-based cleaners have gained attention due to their effectiveness, non-toxicity, and eco-friendly nature. Enzymes function by targeting specific chemical bonds present in organic soils, breaking those soils down into smaller, more easily removable pieces. One advantage of using enzyme-based cleaners for industrial cleaning purposes is their ability to remove difficult-to-clean organic soils that traditional cleaning methods struggle with on equipment or surfaces. In this presentation, we highlight the need to understand the composition of soils and demonstrate efficacy of enzyme-based cleaners across representative soiled surface types found in production processes. AOCS members who work with formulation components for industrial cleaning products may find this discussion on enzyme-based cleaning solutions relevant.