A team from India’s Siksha O Anusandhan University has created an enzyme derived from agricultural waste to use as an additive in laundry detergent.

To develop the enzyme lipase, researchers fermented mustard oil cakes, which are the byproduct of mustard seed oil extraction, and fermented them with the bacteria Anoxybacillus sp to encourage the growth of microbes that produce the lipase enzyme.

According to the team of researchers, the process results in a low-cost and natural alternative to the commercially produced lipase enzyme used in several industries for producing chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and environmentally friendly laundry detergents. Yet, the cost of commercially producing the lipase enzyme is expensive, which is what prompted the Siksha O Anusandhan University team to pursue other methods of producing the enzyme.

The team detailed their work in an article in the journal Preparative Biochemistry & Biotechnology titled “Parameter optimization for thermostable lipase production and performance evaluation as prospective detergent additive.”