Mixtures containing fatty acid esters are widely used as lubricants in the textile industry, e.g., in spin finishes applied during the production of synthetic fibres, or in sizes added to fibres before weaving. In a recently published paper, Luís C. de Sousa and Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho (2BRG-iBB) report the application of lipases to hydrolyse the fatty acid esters present in a polyamide-with-elastane textile. They used enzymes, produced by partners of project FuturEnzyme on textiles provided by the industrial partner, and developed the biocatalytic and washing steps. The results demonstrate that enzymes and appropriate washing conditions may be used to remove spin-finishes, with a performance similar to current solvent-based processes. See more.