That cloudy film on a bowl that held oatmeal, or a pan that cooked pasta, is dried starch. Amylase is the enzyme in our dishwasher and laundry detergents that goes after it, splitting starch into shorter sugar chains that dissolve and rinse away.
Bottom line: Amylase breaks up the starch film on dishes. Like every detergent enzyme, the hazard to manage is dust, so pour powder gently.
Quick facts
- What it is: An enzyme, a protein that breaks down starch
- Works with: Protease, which handles protein soils
- Where it comes from: Microbial fermentation
- EPA Safer Choice: Alpha-amylase is listed with a yellow triangle
- EWG grade: B (see the EWG page)
- CAS number: 9000-90-2 for alpha-amylase
How amylase breaks up starch
Starch is made of long glucose chains, some straight and some branched. Alpha-amylase cuts links inside those chains rather than nibbling from the ends, which is the clever part: a single cut can turn one long chain into two shorter ones. Enough cuts and the pieces dissolve in water.
Why it matters most in the dishwasher
Dried starch clings to bowls and pans as a thin film. Once amylase breaks it up, the rest of the wash can carry it away. In laundry it does the same for starchy food spills.
Egg and milk need protease instead. The two enzymes are paired in our dishwasher tabs, dishwasher powder and Max Strength Laundry Powder, alongside sodium citrate and washing soda, which deal with hard water.
How it rates
EPA gives alpha-amylase the same yellow triangle as subtilisin, the most common detergent protease: it meets Safer Choice criteria for its job, with a hazard to handle. For enzymes, the hazard is dust: raw enzymes can cause allergic reactions in the lungs when breathed in (Basketter et al., 2008). More in how we vet ingredients.
HERA, the European detergent industry's risk assessment program, rates the allergic potency of amylases in the same range as subtilisin. It puts airborne exposure from laundry use at no more than 0.16 nanograms per cubic meter and concludes this raises no safety concern for consumers (HERA, 2005).
It also finds detergent amylases readily and ultimately biodegradable, without relevant toxic effects in the environment and largely inactivated during washing, and concludes that their use in detergents does not pose a risk to the environment (HERA, 2005).
Handling and safety
On skin, a 2008 research review of detergent enzymes in general found that the hazards of raw enzymes did not translate into a risk of skin reactions for people using enzyme laundry products (Basketter et al., 2008). HERA's amylase assessment does not cover skin, and the fabric residue figures on our protease page are protease measurements, not amylase. Use products as directed on the label.
- Breathing enzyme dust repeatedly can lead some people to develop an allergy to it. Pour or scoop powder gently and do not shake it into the air.
- Add detergent right before you run the dishwasher and close the dispenser, so little hands cannot reach it.
- Close the bag or tub after each scoop and store it dry, up high and away from children and pets.
- If powder gets in someone's eyes, rinse gently with plain water for several minutes and follow the first aid directions on the label.
- If a child swallows some, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, free and open 24 hours a day.
Where you will find it
Laundry
- Fragrance-Free Laundry Detergent, 60 loads (fragrance-free)
- EWG Verified Max Strength Laundry Powder (fragrance-free)
Dish
- EWG Verified Dishwasher Tabs (fragrance-free)
- EWG Verified Dishwasher Powder (fragrance-free)
Kits and bundles
- Complete Fragrance-Free Laundry System (fragrance-free)
- Ultimate Home Bulk Bundle (fragrance-free)
- Expert Home Cleaner Kit (mixed: includes scented sprays)
See all our ingredients →
Sources
- America's Poison Centers. (n.d.). Get poison help. https://poisoncenters.org/get-poison-help
- Basketter, D. A., English, J. S., Wakelin, S. H., & White, I. R. (2008). Enzymes, detergents and skin: Facts and fantasies. British Journal of Dermatology, 158(6), 1177-1181. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2008.08561.x
- Environmental Working Group. (n.d.). Amylase. EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning. https://www.ewg.org/cleaners/substances/7105-AMYLASE/
- HERA. (2005). Human and environmental risk assessment on ingredients of household cleaning products: Alpha-amylases, cellulases and lipases. https://www.heraproject.com/substance/amylase-lipase-cellulase/
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Safer Choice. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-ingredients
