PERFORMANCE OF PROTEASE AS A CLEANING AGENT FOR STAINLESS-STEEL SURFACES FOULED WITH PROTEIN

Cleaning experiments were performed by feeding protease solutions as c leaning agents into a packed column of stainless steel particles foule d with beta-lactoglobulin or gelatin. By evaluating the initial desorp tion rate constants (Brst-order rate constants) and residual amounts o f protein, the cleaning efficiencies of the proteases were compared. T he initial desorption rate constant depended on the kind of protease u sed and also on the type of protein to be removed. It increased with p rotease concentration and reached a constant value at a limit concentr ation. Kinetic analysis of the proteolytic reactions catalyzed by the proteases revealed that protease with a large Vm(ax)/EKm value for the proteolytic reaction resulted in a large value of the initial desorpt ion rate constant in the enzymatic cleaning at a low protease concentr ation. The K-m value affected the limit concentration of protease yiel ding a saturation of initial desorption rate constant.