I’ve seen mentioned on my Facebook feed and other places something called bio enzyme which is a miracle organic homemade product. I think it’s just a scam and wanted to check with the folks here.
It’s basically orange peels, brown sugar, water and some yeast “fermented” for a week in a bottle. Here’s one recipe for example : Citrus Enzyme Cleaner Recipe
So do you really get any enzymes in this process ?
Sounds like total bullshit to me. Where exactly do the enzymes come from? The yeast? The peels? If yeast, then you could clean well with beer or wine. If it’s the peels, then why ferment it?
My guess is that they’re making a weakly alcoholic solution with some orange oil liberated from the peels, and adding vinegar. That probably does a somewhat passable job of cleaning (alcohol and vinegar are solvents, and so are some parts of orange oil), and smells nice.
But enzymes? I seriously doubt it. AFAIK, citrus peels don’t have enzymes for the most part that would be useful for cleaning. Neither do yeast. You’d need some sort of lipase or proteinase to clean effectively, which is exactly what dishwasher and laundry detergents have.
Yup, and I see no indication from that article that the writer knows what an enzyme is.
Agree with @bump and @Riemann I thought the same too. Is there a snopes page or something equivalent disproving these claims ; that I can show a rather adamant person ?
There was another thread on this topic on these forums some time ago, you should search for. Especially since, IIRC, it became a argument-fest wherein propeller debated how the facts, as known, don’t really apply, and testimonials, published on the website, do apply. Its what you’re going to get from your friend when you come up with a Snopes link anyway, so it would be helpful for to be ready.
Darn that propeller!
When I read your OP and saw the url containing the phrase “enzyme cleaner”, I was assuming this was going to be something that people were drinking, to remove “toxins” from their body. This seems like a relatively harmless pursuit for somebody with a propensity to believe nonsense. Perhaps you should let them get on with it, for fear that they latch onto something much more harmful instead.
That’s sage advice. I am going to do just that. Thanks
Nobody wants a dirty enzyme.
Is this thread converging with the “Jerry Falwell is a cuck” thread?
You already answered your own question. The enzymes come from the bull shit, duh!
Just to double-check… those enzymatic cleaners you get at the supermarket (for dog piss, etc.) actually do work, right? And aren’t just woo?
This particular thread is doubting that this particular homemade concoction includes any special enzymes that would work for household cleaning?
Let’s consult the Oracle of Teh Googlez:
Enzymes are biological molecules (typically proteins) produced by a living organism, that significantly speed up the rate of virtually all of the chemical reactions that take place within cells.
Enzymes are highly selective catalysts, meaning that each enzyme only speeds up a specific reaction.
Description in the O.P. sounds like a recipe for prison wine.
I mean, any port in a storm, I guess.
Yes, yeasts release enzymes (a digestive process), which are bio-enzymes. It’s one of the reasons for using yeasts with flour: the enzymes soften the bread (leavening) as well as producing carbon dioxide.
As to if this process produces helpful enzymes … no idea.
The fermenting of wine, leavening of bread, curdling of cheese, and brewing of beer have been practiced from earliest times, but not until the 19th century were these reactions understood to be the result of the catalytic activity of enzymes
Just to note that the term “bio-enzyme” is only used in this world of woo, it’s not a scientific term. An enzyme is, by definition, always a biological molecule (and almost always a protein).
Yes, this is real. That is to say, I don’t know how well they work, but it’s based on real science, and they contain actual enzymes.
I’m sure that an ex-chiropractor who’s gone into dietary woo, is anti-GMO and blames nasty modern food for her kids’ ailments is a positive oracle when it comes to revolutionary homemade household cleaners.
/sarcasm
I’m sorry, I didn’t explicitly finish my train of thought earlier. The quoted, ah, Wikipedia quote indicates that - and here we’ll assume the random yeast species in our concoction are indeed producing viable enzymes - the enzymes will only target very specific chemical processes.
What are the odds that this specific process will be “clean up orange juice the kids spilled three days ago behind the toaster” and not, say, “digest wheat gluten” or something?
It sounds like Pruno.
You are unlikely to get a miracle product with a significant and meaningful effect.