There are proprietary organisms present in Enzymatic. Other microorganisms are also present and can vary slightly from batch to batch.
In the manufacturing process, the biological activity is controlled and arrested by the addition of proprietary compounds. The microorganisms are not killed by this procedure and remain viable for an indefinite period.
Under certain conditions, for example high temperature, dilution with water or addition of a fresh food source, biological activity can restart. This is an important property of the material for its efficacy.
Enzymes
All the enzymes present in Enzymatic are naturally occurring enzymes. The enzymes actually present in the product are formed in the manufacture of the product and stabilized by the same process used to arrest the biological activity.
Mode of Action of Enzymatic
For its efficacy, Enzymatic does not rely solely on either the organisms or the enzymes present in the product. The principle mode of action is to stimulate the growth of microorganisms naturally present in the substrate. These naturally occurring organisms then accelerate the degradation of the substrate.
In the manufacture of Enzymatic, a natural substrate is used as a food source for certain carefully selected microorganisms. Together with certain essential nutrients added during the manufacturing process, this produces a complex micronutrient blend that acts as a powerful stimulant to microbial activity.
What part the microorganisms and enzymes in Enzymatic play in its activity will depend on the substrate. In some instances, the action of the Enzymatic may depend entirely upon the organisms naturally present in the substrate with the product acting solely as a stimulant to the naturally present organisms. In other situations some of the organisms present in Enzymatic will be stimulated into activity by the substrate.
In either situation, it is the enzymes produced in situ by the enhanced biological activity that is the major contributor to degradation of the substrate. The enzymes actually present in the product may only act as an initial catalyst for further biological activity.
Enzymatic also contains a powerful biodegradable surfactant. The purpose of this material is to break down oil, grease and penetrate hydrophobic surface layers on waste material that can inhibit or prevent biological activity even under otherwise ideal conditions. In all cases the surfactant substantially increases the surface area of the hydrophobic material dramatically accelerating its rate of degradation.
Consequently it is not prudent to make blanket claims for all waste environments and individual, site by site testing is the best approach to ensure efficacy on a case-by-case basis.
Shelf life of Enzymatic
Biological materials and enzymes are easily destroyed by adverse conditions making products that depend solely on these materials for their action susceptible to limited shelf life and variable performance.
Enzymatic is stabilized using a very robust method that has proven itself effective over nearly 21 years of production experience. The unopened product has a shelf life in excess of two years from the date of manufacture; approximately the minimum length of time that experience has shown the inherent biological activity to remain constant. However, the product remains efficacious for much longer because its principal mode of action (stimulation of naturally occurring biological activity) is not adversely affected by prolonged storage even under relatively harsh conditions e.g. high temperature.
In any event, the maximum shelf life of the unopened product is considered to be five years because after this length of time packaging materials tend to deteriorate, there is a possibility of contamination of product, or deterioration due to prolonged storage under adverse conditions.