The oil-removing and cleaning power of dishwashing liquid mainly depends on the types of surfactants, their compounding ratios, and the synergistic effects of builders. Below are the key ingredients that significantly enhance oil removal and cleaning efficiency, along with their principles, which can be optimized according to specific needs.
I. Core Synergistic Ingredients: Surfactants
Surfactants are the “core engine” for oil removal in dishwashing liquid, which emulsify and disperse oil to make it detach from tableware surfaces. Selecting high-activity, oil-resistant surfactants or their compound systems can significantly enhance detergency.
Features: Extremely strong detergency, especially efficient in emulsifying oils (such as animal and vegetable oils, mineral oils), with low cost.
Notes: May irritate skin when used alone, and needs to be compounded with mild surfactants; has poor environmental friendliness, and short carbon chain (C10-C14) type can be selected to improve biodegradability.
AES (Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate)
Features: Strong detergency and rich foam, hard water resistant (suitable for areas with hard water), milder than LAS.
Compounding Suggestion: Mix with LAS at a ratio of 3:1 or 2:1 to synergistically improve oil removal efficiency and reduce irritation.
MES (Sodium Methyl Ester Sulfonate)
Features: Natural source (derived from palm oil/coconut oil), good biodegradability, detergency close to LAS, mild and low-irritating.
Application Scenarios: High-end eco-friendly or natural dishwashing liquid formulations.
2. Nonionic Surfactants (Auxiliary Synergists)
APG (Alkyl Polyglucoside)
Features: Plant-based (glucose + fatty alcohol), mild and non-irritating, can enhance the detergency synergistic effect of anionic surfactants, especially suitable for cleaning protein-containing stains (such as egg liquid adhered to oil stains).
Mechanism: Reduces surface tension, making oil more easily emulsified and dispersed.
AEO (Fatty Alcohol Polyoxyethylene Ether)
Features: Low foam, high cloud point (high temperature resistant), suitable for cleaning heavy kitchen oil stains (such as oven oil stains, deep fryer residues), can penetrate thick oil layers.
3. Compound Systems (Key Strategy)
Anionic + Nonionic Compound(such as LAS + APG or AES + AEO):
Advantages: Makes up for the shortcomings of single surfactants, improves detergency by 30%-50%, and simultaneously enhances mildness and foam stability.
Classic Proportion: Anionic surfactants account for 60%-70%, nonionic surfactants account for 20%-30%, and the rest are auxiliary components.
II. Builders: Strengthening Detergency Synergy
Builders do not directly remove stains, but indirectly enhance detergency by chelating metal ions, softening water quality, and enhancing surfactant activity.
1. Chelating Agents (Counteracting Hard Water)
Sodium Citrate/EDTA
Function: Chelates calcium and magnesium ions in water to prevent the formation of “soap scum” (calcium/magnesium fatty acid precipitates), keeping surfactants active.
Function: Provides an alkaline environment (pH 9-10), making oil undergo “saponification reaction” (decomposed into water-soluble fatty acid salts and glycerol), especially suitable for removing aged oil and stubborn oil stains.
Notes: Dosage should be controlled (≤5%) to avoid damaging tableware or irritating skin due to excessive alkalinity, and can be balanced with pH regulators (such as citric acid).
3. Oxidizing Additives (Oil Removal + Bleaching)
Sodium Percarbonate/Sodium Perborate
Function: Releases active oxygen to oxidize and decompose pigments and organic matters in oil stains (such as soy sauce stains, coffee stains), and simultaneously improves the gloss of tableware after oil removal.
Function: Enzymes can precisely decompose oil (lipase) and protein (protease). For example, when cleaning meat juice or milk stains with oil, enzymes can penetrate into the interior of fibers to disintegrate stains, improving the thoroughness of cleaning.
Dosage: 0.5%-1%, attention should be paid to the optimal temperature (usually 40-60℃) and pH tolerance (neutral to weakly alkaline environment) of enzymes.
2. Organic Solvents (Dissolving Heavy Oil Stains)
Ethanol/Propylene Glycol
Function: Penetrates and dissolves solidified oil (such as aged oil scale in kitchen range hoods), reduces oil viscosity, and makes it easier to be emulsified by surfactants.
Dosage: 3%-5%, which can improve the pretreatment effect on heavy oil stains, but costs and volatilization issues need to be noted.
IV. Formula Optimization Key Points
Increasing Total Surfactant Content
Surfactant content in ordinary dishwashing liquid is about 15%-20%, while that in concentrated type can be increased to 25%-35%, directly enhancing oil removal ability (thickener needs to be used to adjust viscosity).
Adjusting Foam Stability
High-foam type (containing AES, 6501) is suitable for hand washing, and foam can carry oil to detach from tableware; low-foam type (containing AEO) is suitable for machine washing to avoid excessive foam affecting dishwasher efficiency.
Temperature Synergy
Warm water (40-50℃) can reduce oil viscosity and enhance surfactant activity. Therefore, foam stabilizers(such as cocamide DEA) can be added to the formula to maintain persistent foam in warm water and enhance detergency efficiency.
V. Risks and Balances
Irritation Control: High oil-removing components (such as LAS, alkaline additives) may increase skin dryness, and need to be matched with mild surfactants(APG, betaine) or humectants (glycerin, propylene glycol) to relieve.
Environmental Compliance: Prioritize biodegradable surfactants(such as APG, MES, AEO-9), and avoid using environmental hormones such as NP (nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether).
Regulatory Restrictions: Ingredients such as enzymes and bactericides (such as benzalkonium chloride) must comply with the requirements of National Food Safety Standard Detergents(GB 14930.1) to ensure residue safety.
VI. Example of Classic Synergistic Formula (based on 100 parts)
Ingredient
Content (parts)
Function
LAS
15
Main decontamination, emulsifying oil
AES
10
Auxiliary decontamination, foam stabilization
APG-0810
5
Mild synergist, synergizing surfactants
Sodium Citrate
2
Chelating hard water, enhancing surfactant activity
Sodium Carbonate
3
Alkaline oil removal, saponifying stubborn oil
Lipase
0.5
Decomposing oil molecules
Ethanol
3
Dissolving heavy oil stains
Deionized Water
61.5
Solvent
Preservative/Flavor
Appropriate amount
Antisepsis, flavoring
This formula is suitable for cleaning heavy kitchen oil stains, with oil removal ability increased by about 40% compared to ordinary commercial products. Meanwhile, APG is used to reduce irritation, making it suitable for household hand washing scenarios.
We are especially produce and export the liquid detergent with different formula to meet different requirements from customers, and could supply you OEM and ODM service.
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Hebei Guangsheng Technology Co.Ltd
