# “Bio-enzyme” - real or woo?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bio-enzyme-real-or-woo/918899>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 24, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bio-enzyme-real-or-woo/918899 "2020-08-24T17:24:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bio-enzyme-real-or-woo/918899/21 "2020-08-30T20:13:06Z")

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> [@purplehorseshoe](#):
>
> 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’s almost certain that bread yeast (what is being used here I assume) is going to have a pretty limited set of enzymes- probably amylases to convert the starch in flour into sugar for the yeast’s own use, and possibly some proteases. The orange peels aren’t likely to be significant sources of enzymes I wouldn’t expect.

But the kicker is that enzymes tend to work best in certain temperature bands, and they aren’t necessarily instantaneous. So even if somehow you managed to get enough amylase out of your yeast fermentation to do something, there’s a good chance your countertop is going to be the wrong temperature, and you’re unlikely to leave it on there long enough.

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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bio-enzyme-real-or-woo/918899/22 "2020-08-30T21:22:39Z")

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Yeah, but your saliva already contains two types of amylase. Similarly, your body makes the enzymes it needs. A few require certain things in your diet. But if there was something really needed that was missing, you’d have run into trouble long ago. Such a problem is not going to be cured by a rag and a bone and a hank of hair.

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**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bio-enzyme-real-or-woo/918899/23 "2020-08-31T01:13:06Z")

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> [@bump](#):
>
> and they aren’t necessarily instantaneous

… just leave your bench top to “improve” for a couple of hours, punch it down, leave it another hour, _then_ wipe the cleaner off …

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