초록 ▼

The invention relates to a method of cleaning a surface (1) attached with at least one chewing gum lump (2) whereby said cleaning is at least partly based on an enzymatic degradation of at least one biodegradable polymer in said chewing gum lump (2) and whereby said enzymatic degradation is initiate

The invention relates to a method of cleaning a surface (1) attached with at least one chewing gum lump (2) whereby said cleaning is at least partly based on an enzymatic degradation of at least one biodegradable polymer in said chewing gum lump (2) and whereby said enzymatic degradation is initiated by the application of at least one enzyme to which said at least one polymer forms substrate and whereby said at least one enzyme is added to said chewing gum lump (2) subsequent to chewing and attachment of said chewing gum lump (2) to said surface (1).

대표청구항 ▼

1. Method of cleaning a surface attached with at least one chewing gum lump whereby said cleaning is at least partly based on an enzymatic degradation of at least one biodegradable polymer in said chewing gum lump and wherebysaid enzymatic degradation is established by the application of a cleaning

1. Method of cleaning a surface attached with at least one chewing gum lump whereby said cleaning is at least partly based on an enzymatic degradation of at least one biodegradable polymer in said chewing gum lump and wherebysaid enzymatic degradation is established by the application of a cleaning agent comprising at least one enzyme to which said at least one polymer forms substrate and wherebysaid cleaning agent comprising said at least one enzyme is added to said chewing gum lump subsequent to chewing and attachment of said chewing gum lump to said surface, wherein said cleaning agent comprises at least one enzyme in a liquid suspension or solution,wherein a concentration of said at least one enzyme is in the range of 0.0001 wt % to 70 wt % of the cleaning agent,wherein at least one of said at least one enzyme is selected from the group consisting of oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, ligases, lipases, esterases, depolymerases, peptidases and proteases,wherein at least one of said at least one enzyme has a molecular weight of 2 to 1000 kDa, andwherein said at least one enzyme is transported through the chewing gum lump or is invoking a chain-reaction resulting in a degradation of the polymer or polymers targeted by the applied enzyme. 2. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, whereby said enzymatic degradation is supplemented by a further enzymatic degradation obtained through enzymes present in the chewing gum lump during chewing. 3. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, said chewing gum lump being attached to said surface by means of intermolecular forces in a contact area,said chewing gum lump comprising at least one biodegradable polymer, said biodegradable polymer having unstable bonds and forming substrate to at least one enzyme,reducing the intermolecular forces in an interface region by modifying the structure of the molecular chains of said polymer by the process ofproviding said cleaning agent to a free surface of said chewing gum lump, said cleaning agent comprising enzymes to which said biodegradable polymer forms substrate. 4. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, said cleaning agent comprising enzymes in a solid state or mixture. 5. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning agent comprises at least one enzyme mixed in water. 6. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of said enzymes is in the range of 0.0002 wt % to 10 wt % of the cleaning agent. 7. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of said enzymes is in the range of 0.0003 wt % to 5 wt % of the cleaning agent. 8. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least two enzymes of said cleaning agent have different active areas with respect to temperature and/or pH. 9. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein an active range of said cleaning agent with respect to temperature or pH is obtained by different enzymes having different active ranges. 10. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 3, said free surface comprising a part of the surface of the chewing gum, which is not sticking to the surface. 11. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 3, wherein said reducing of the intermolecular forces involves a complete or at least partly dissolving of the chewing gum lump. 12. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 3, wherein said reducing of the intermolecular forces involves a complete or at least partly dissolving of the chewing gum lump forming the contact area of the chewing gum. 13. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, said at least one biodegradable polymer being substantially hydrophilic. 14. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, said chewing gum lump being substantially free of non-biodegradable polymers. 15. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, said polymer comprising an elastomer. 16. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one biodegradable polymer comprises at least one polyester polymer obtainable by polymerization of at least one cyclic ester. 17. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one biodegradable polymer comprises at least one polyester polymer obtainable by condensation polymerization of at least one polyfunctional alcohol or derivative thereof and at least one polyfunctional acid or derivative thereof. 18. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one biodegradable polymer comprises at least one polyester obtainable by polymerization of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of cyclic esters, alcohols or derivatives thereof and carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof. 19. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said at least one polyfunctional alcohol is a polyhydroxy alkyl alcohol. 20. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein said derivative of said at least one polyfunctional alcohol comprises an ester of an alcohol. 21. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said at least one polyfunctional acid is a hydroxycarboxylic acid. 22. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said at least one polyfunctional acid is an α-hydroxy acid selected from the group consisting of lactic acids and glycolic acids. 23. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein said derivative of said at least one polyfunctional acid is selected from the group of esters, anhydrides or halides of carboxylic acids. 24. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein said derivative of said at least one polyfunctional acid is selected from methyl esters or ethyl esters of carboxylic acids. 25. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein said polyester is obtainable through reaction of at least one acid or derivative thereof selected from the group of terephthalic, phthalic, adipic, pimelic, succinic, malonic acids or combinations thereof with at least one alcohol or derivative thereof selected from the groups of methylene, ethylene, propylene, butylene diols or combinations thereof. 26. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said at least one cyclic ester is selected from the group of monomers comprising glycolides, lactides, lactones, cyclic carbonates or mixtures thereof. 27. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 26, wherein at least one of said lactone monomers is selected from the group of ε-caprolactone, δ-valerolactone, γ-butyrolactone, and β-propiolactone, including ε-caprolactones, δ-valerolactones, γ-butyrolactones, or β-propiolactones that have been substituted with one or more alkyl or aryl substituents at any non-carbonyl carbon atoms along the ring, including compounds in which two substituents are contained on the same carbon atom. 28. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 26, wherein at least one of said carbonate monomers is selected from the group consisting of trimethylene carbonate, 5-alkyl-1,3-dioxan-2-one, 5,5-dialkyl-1,3-dioxan-2-one, 5-alkyl-5-alkyloxycarbonyl-1,3-dioxan-2-one, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, trimethylolpropane monocarbonate, 4,6-dimethyl-1,3-propylene carbonate, 2,2-dimethyl trimethylene carbonate, 1,3-dioxepan-2-one and mixtures thereof. 29. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 16, wherein said at least one polyester polymer obtainable by polymerization of at least one cyclic ester is selected from the group consisting of poly (L-lactide); poly (D-lactide); poly (D, L-lactide); poly (mesolactide); poly (glycolide); poly (trimethylenecarbonate); poly (epsilon-caprolactone); poly (L-lactide-co-D, L-lactide); poly (L-lactide-co-meso-lactide); poly (L-lactide-co-glycolide); poly (L-lactide-co-trimethylenecarbonate); poly (L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone); poly (D, L-lactide-co-meso-lactide); poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide); poly (D, L-lactide-co-trimethylenecarbonate); poly (D, L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone); poly (meso-lactide-co-glycolide); poly (meso-lactide-co-trimethylenecarbonate); poly (meso-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone); poly (glycolide-cotrimethylenecarbonate); and poly (glycolide-co-epsilon-caprolactone). 30. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein said polyester is produced through a reaction of multifunctional alcohol and at least one acid chosen from the group consisting of citric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid, dodecanedioic acid, glucaric acid, glutamic acid, glutaric acid, azelaic acid, and tartaric acid. 31. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein said biodegradable polymer comprises polyurethane. 32. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein said biodegradable polymer comprises polyhydroxyalkanoates. 33. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said enzymes is accelerating the degradation of said polyester obtainable by ring-opening polymerization of at least one cyclic ester. 34. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said enzymes is accelerating the degradation of said polyester obtainable by polymerization of at least one alcohol or derivative thereof and at least one acid or derivative thereof. 35. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said enzymes is an oxidoreductase. 36. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said enzymes is a hydrolase. 37. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said enzymes is a lyase. 38. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on ester bonds. 39. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is a glycosylase. 40. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on ether bonds. 41. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on carbon-nitrogen bonds. 42. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on peptide bonds. 43. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on acid anhydrides. 44. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on carbon-carbon bonds. 45. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said hydrolase enzymes is acting on halide bonds, phosphorus-nitrogen bonds, sulfur-nitrogen bonds, carbon-phosphorus bonds, sulfur-sulfur bonds, or carbon-sulfur bonds. 46. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said enzymes is an endo-enzyme. 47. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said enzymes is an exo-enzyme. 48. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least two enzymes are combined in said cleaning agent. 49. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said enzymes requires a co-factor to carry out its catalyzing function, and wherein the co-factor is provided in the cleaning agent. 50. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein said chewing gum comprises means for facilitating internal transport of enzymes or liquid structures. 51. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein said chewing gum comprises prolamine. 52. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 51, wherein prolamine has a texturizing agent entrapped therein, produced by solubilizing prolamine and then co-precipitating prolamine with a texturizing agent. 53. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 51, wherein prolamine is selected from the group consisting of zein, gliadin, horedein and combinations thereof. 54. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 52, wherein the texturizing agent is a food grade organic acid, food grade mineral acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid, a mono-, di- or tri-carboxylic acid, a Lewis acid salt, a C3-C4 hydroxyalkyl ester of an organic acid, a C2-C5 alkyl ester of an organic acid, a C-C5 alkyl ester of an alpha-hydroxy acid, a salt of an organic acid, a salt of an alpha-hydroxy acid, amino acid, amine salt, polymeric acids and combinations thereof. 55. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 54, wherein the alpha-hydroxy acid is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and combinations thereof. 56. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, wherein said chewing gum comprises gluten. 57. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 3, wherein said chewing gum lump facilitates transport or a degradation reaction through the chewing gum towards the interface region. 58. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, comprising providing a cleaning agent to said chewing gum lump, said cleaning agent comprising at least one enzyme and establishing conditions targeting an activation of the at least one enzyme in relation to the at least one biodegradable polymer. 59. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 58, wherein at least one of said conditions comprises a temperature control of said cleaning agent or said at least one enzyme. 60. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 58, wherein at least one of said conditions comprises humidity in the near vicinity of said chewing gum lump. 61. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 58, comprising controlling said conditions in a time period subsequent to said activation. 62. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 58, comprising controlling said conditions in at least 5 seconds subsequent to said activation. 63. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 58, wherein said activation is performed simultaneous to said providing of a cleaning agent. 64. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 58, whereby said activation is followed or initiated by a preconditioning of said chewing gum lump by means of physical parameters. 65. Method of cleaning a surface according to claim 1, whereby said enzymes comprise at least two different types of enzymes.