Stabilized liquid enzyme containing compositions

Claim 2

A stabilized liquid concentrate, useable as a washing and cleaning agent, consisting essentially of (a) 0.01 to 5% of an enzyme preparation containing enzymes selected from the group consisting of proteases, amylases, and mixtures thereof, (b) 0.5 to 40% of a nonionic surfactant, (c) 0 to 30% of an anionic surfactant, (d) 20 to 50% of water, (e) 0 to 50% of a solvent or additional water-soluble substance promoting the stability of the enzymes selected from the group consisting of monovalent alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, polyvalent alcohols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups, and ethers thereof, and, (f) relative to 1 part by weight of said enzyme preparation, 2 to 500 parts by weight of an alkoxylated alkylamine of the formula ##STR8## wherein R is an alkyl group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms, R' is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, provided that the total of the carbon atoms of R and R' is from 9 to 19 inclusive, R" is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, and a hydroxymethyl group, x is an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, and y is 0 or an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, provided that the sum of x and y is from 1 to 10 inclusive.

Claim 3

The concentrate of claim 1 consisting essentially of (a) 0.01 to 5% of the enzyme preparation, (b) 0.5 to 20% of alkoxylated alkylamine, (c) 0.5 to 40% of nonionic surfactant and (d) 20 to 50% of water.

Claim 4

The concentrate of claim 1 wherein the solvent or additional water-soluble substance promoting the stability of the enzymes is a member selected from the group consisting of monovalent alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms and alkane diols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and ethers thereof.

Claim 5

The concentrate of claim 1 consisting essentially of (a) 0.01 to 5% of the enzyme preparation, (b) 0.5 to 20% of the alkoxylated alkylamine, (c) 0 to 50% of monovalent alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, polyvalent alcohols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups and/or partial ethers thereof, (d) 0.5 to 40% of nonionic surfactants, (e) 0 to 30% of soap and/or sulfate- or sulfonate surfactant, (f) 0 to 25% of a member selected from the group consisting of hydroxyalkylamines having 2 to 8 carbon atoms per hydrocarbon radical, and derivatives of said hydroxyalkylamines which have at least one hydroxyl group in the molecule and are substituted on nitrogen by C 1-4 alkyl radicals, or by cyclohexyl or cyclopentyl groups and derivatives of said hydroxyalkylamines which are substituted on nitrogen by groups of the formula ##STR9## wherein R 1 is alkylene of 2 or 3 carbon atoms, and R 2 is alkyl of 1 or 2 carbon atoms, (g) 0 to 1% of antimicrobial substances, (h) 0 to 20% of complex-forming builder substances, (i) 0 to 10% of solubilizing intermediaries selected from the group consisting of toluene-, xylene-, or cumene sulfonate, alkyl sulfates or alkane sulfonates having 6 to 8 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon radical, and urea, (j) 0 to 1% of optical brighteners, dyes, perfumes, and opacifiers, and (k) 20 to 50% of water.

Claim 6

The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said enzyme preparation has an activity of 10 to 10,000 SKBE/gm amylase or of 1,000 to 1,500,000 PE/gm protease.

Claim 7

The concentrate of claim 5 which contains 5 to 200 parts by weight of the alkoxylated alkylamine to 1 part by weight of the enzyme preparation.

Claim 8

The concentrate of claim 5 wherein the enzyme preparation has an activity of 10,000 to 800,000 PE/gm protease.

Claim 9

The concentrate of claim 5 wherein the ##STR10## chain of the alkoxylated alkylamine is a straight-chain alkyl group having a total of 12 to 18 carbon atoms.

Claim 10

The concentrate of claim 5 which has a pH value of 7 to 11.

Claim 11

The concentrate of claim 5 wherein the total of x + y is 1 to 6 inclusive.

Claim 12

The concentrate of claim 5 which additionally contains one or more additives selected from the group consisting of (a) 0 to 25% of a member selected from the group consisting of hydroxyalkylamines having 2 to 8 carbon atoms per hydrocarbon radical, and derivatives of said hydroxyalkylamines which have at least one hydroxyl group in the molecule and are substituted on nitrogen by C 1-4 alkyl radicals, or by cyclohexyl or cyclopentyl groups and derivatives of said hydroxyalkylamines which are substituted on nitrogen by groups of the formula ##STR11## wherein R 1 is alkylene of 2 or 3 carbon atoms, and R 2 is alkyl of 1 or 2 carbon atoms, (b) 0 to 1% of antimicrobial substances, (c) 0 to 20% of complex-forming builder substances, (d) 0 to 10% of solubilizing intermediaries selected from the group consisting of toluene-, xylene-, or cumene sulfonate, alkyl sulfates or alkane sulfonates having 6 to 8 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon radical, and urea, (e) 0 to 1% of the optical brighteners, dyes, perfumes, and opacifiers, and (f) conventional quantities of washing alkalis and zwitterionic detergents.

Claim 13

The concentrate of claim 5 wherein R" is hydrogen.

Claim 14

The concentrate of claim 12 wherein the total of x + y is 1 to 6 inclusive.

Claim 15

In the process of stabilizing a liquid concentrate, useable as a washing and cleaning agent, consisting essentially of (a) 0.01 to 5% of an enzyme preparation containing enzymes selected from the group consisting of proteases, amylases, and mixtures thereof, (b) 0.5 to 40% of a nonionic surfactant, (c) 0 to 30% of an anionic surfactant, (d) 20 to 50% of water, and (e) 0 to 50% of a solvent or additional water-soluble substance promoting the stability of the enzymes selected from the group consisting of monovalent alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, polyvalent alcohols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups, and ethers thereof, the improvement which consists essentially of using as stabilizer, relative to 1 part by weight of said enzyme preparation, 2 to 500 parts by weight of an alkoxylated alkylamine of the formula ##STR12## wherein R is an alkyl group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms, R' is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, provided that the total of the carbon atoms of R and R' is from 9 to 19 inclusive, R" is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, and a hydroxymethyl group, x is an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, and y is 0 or an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, provided that the sum of x and y is from 1 to 10 inclusive.

Claim 16

In the process of stabilizing a liquid concentrate, useable as a washing and cleaning agent, consisting essentially of (a) 0.01 to 5% of an enzyme preparation containing enzymes selected from the group consisting of proteases, amylases, and mixtures thereof, (b) 0.5 to 40% of a nonionic surfactant, (c) 0 to 30% of an anionic surfactant, (d) 20 to 50% of water, and (e) 0 to 50% of a solvent or additional water-soluble substance promoting the stability of the enzymes selected from the group consisting of monovalent alcohols having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, polyvalent alcohols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups, and ethers thereof, the improvement which consists essentially of using as stabilizer, relative to 1 part by weight of said enzyme preparation, 2 to 500 parts by weight of an alkoxylated alkylamine of the formula ##STR12## wherein R is an alkyl group having 4 to 20 carbon atoms, R' is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, provided that the total of the carbon atoms of R and R' is from 9 to 19 inclusive, R" is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, and a hydroxymethyl group, x is an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, and y is 0 or an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, provided that the sum of x and y is from 1 to 10 inclusive.