DOWNLOAD

ENZYMES IN WASHING POWDERS

Historic packet

We unearthed the box shown below over a decade ago when the Department of Microbiology at Reading moved to the Whiteknights campus.

Presumably, in 1969, when Ariel - Britiain's first 'biological' washing powder - was introduced, researchers in the Department were so interested in the product they rushed out and bought a box.

We haven't tested the few grams of powder that remain inside.

School texts in the United Kingdom often suggest that pupils should compare the activity of biological and non-biological washing powders. However, commercial washing powder formulations differ by more than the presence or absence of enzymes. In this investigation, pupils make and evaluate their own washing powders, by adding enzymes to 'non-biological' products.

IMPORTANT NOTE
Modern colour films are no longer made using gelatin. Hence this method will not work with them. Instead you need to use an 'old technology' black-and-white film. Chromagenic black-and-white films (e.g., Ilford XP2) will not work. FP4, HP5 and the equivalent Kodak and Agfa films are suitable. In the UK there is a firm called Jessops which sells its own brand of 100 ISO black-and-white film, which can also be used successfully.

T: 0116 232 0432
W: http://www.jessops.co.uk

Copyright © National Centre for Biotechnology Education, 2006 | www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk