Bio-based clean-in-place (bio-CIP)

01Overview and value chain#

Markers EC: EU Detergents Regulation (EC) 648/2004 | OECD: Industrial biotechnology | Regulator: FDA (USA), EFSA (EU)

Bio-based clean-in-place uses enzymatic detergents — blends of protease, lipase, amylase and cellulase — to degrade protein, fat, starch and biofilm residues inside food, beverage and dairy processing equipment, circulated through the same closed-loop CIP plumbing used for conventional caustic (sodium hydroxide) and acid cleaning. Every confirmed producer here frames its enzymatic product as an alternative or complement to caustic CIP chemistry rather than a wholesale replacement of the CIP process itself: the equipment, circulation loops and cleaning cycle stay the same, and the enzymatic detergent substitutes for or supplements the chemical cleaning agent. Instaquim’s product range illustrates the category’s typical structure — Ten Cip and Enzi NF are non-foaming enzymatic detergents circulated through the CIP loop, while Enzim Pro is a concentrated enzyme-mixture additive used alongside them for biofilm prevention — a base detergent plus a concentrated enzyme booster rather than a single all-in-one product.

The key directions of bio-based clean-in-place are:

1. Non-foaming enzymatic CIP detergents: enzyme-based detergents engineered for closed-loop CIP circulation without foam buildup, targeting protein, fat and starch soil in food and beverage processing lines (Instaquim’s Ten Cip, Kersia Group’s ADDZYM/DETZYM CIP range).
2. Concentrated enzyme-mixture biofilm additives: concentrated multi-enzyme blends (protease, amylase and related fractions) used as an additive alongside a base detergent specifically to prevent and eliminate biofilm formation, a distinct product format from the primary cleaning detergent (Instaquim’s Enzim Pro).
3. Enzyme-based detergent components sold to formulators: liquid microbial enzyme concentrates (lipase, protease, hemicellulase) sold as raw ingredients for CIP and industrial-laundry detergent formulation, rather than a finished branded cleaning product sold directly to a food-plant end user (Yida Biotech).
4. Caustic-reduction and caustic-free enzymatic reformulation: enzymatic detergent compositions specifically engineered to reduce or eliminate caustic (sodium hydroxide) content in dairy-processing-system cleaning, a compliance- and cost-driven reformulation direction distinct from a general biofilm-control product.

Sectoral value chain#

[Enzyme Sourcing/Production] ──> [Detergent Formulation] ──> [CIP System Circulation] ──> [Soil/Biofilm Degradation]
                                                                                                    │
                                                                                        (Cleaning Verification)
                                                                                                    │
                                                                                                    ▼
                                                                                        [Equipment Return to Production]

Value chain levels#

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Drop-in compatibility with existing CIP infrastructure: every confirmed producer’s enzymatic detergent is designed to circulate through the same closed-loop CIP plumbing and cleaning cycle used for conventional caustic or acid cleaning, rather than requiring new equipment — the central adoption enabler for this category.
• Base detergent plus concentrated additive as a common product architecture: several producers sell a primary non-foaming enzymatic detergent alongside a separate, more concentrated enzyme-mixture additive for biofilm-specific control, rather than a single product handling both routine cleaning and biofilm prevention.
• Caustic reduction or elimination as the shared regulatory and cost driver: every confirmed producer frames its enzymatic chemistry as reducing or eliminating caustic (sodium hydroxide) or acid content, addressing both worker-safety/handling cost and the wastewater-treatment burden of conventional CIP effluent.

02US#

The United States hosts one confirmed producer of enzymatic cleaning chemistry with application to CIP systems.

Enzymatic detergent chemistry with CIP application#

• Ecolab: a major US hygiene and cleaning-chemical company whose enzymatic detergent range (including multi-enzyme formulations such as OptiPro and Asepti) targets protein, lipid and carbohydrate soil removal, alongside separate published guidance on CIP process optimization for dairy, beverage and brewery processing lines.

03CN#

China hosts a confirmed enzyme manufacturer supplying liquid microbial enzyme concentrates for CIP and industrial-detergent formulation.

Enzyme-ingredient supplier to CIP and industrial-detergent formulators#

• Yida Biotech: a Nanjing-based manufacturer producing liquid microbial enzyme concentrates — including an Aspergillus-derived lipase and a Bacillus-derived alkaline protease — explicitly marketed for clean-in-place and industrial-laundry detergent use, sold as formulation ingredients rather than a finished branded CIP detergent product.

04EU#

Europe hosts two confirmed producers of enzymatic CIP detergent product lines spanning Spain and France.

Enzymatic CIP detergent and biofilm-control product lines#

• Instaquim: a Spanish producer of Ten Cip and Enzi NF, non-foaming enzymatic detergents for CIP systems in the food industry, alongside Enzim Pro, a concentrated enzyme-mixture additive for biofilm prevention and elimination.
• Kersia Group: a French food-safety and hygiene-chemical producer offering DETZYM CIP, an enzymatic base detergent, alongside ADDZYM CIP, a concentrated enzymatic cocktail designed to break down the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) responsible for biofilm adhesion in closed circuits including membrane filtration systems.

05Leading companies and research institutes#

06Tech stack and innovations#

The stack centers on drop-in compatibility with existing CIP infrastructure as the core adoption enabler, with producers differentiating by product architecture (finished detergent versus raw enzyme ingredient) and by whether biofilm control is bundled into or sold separately from routine cleaning.

1. Non-Foaming Formulation as an Engineering Requirement for CIP Circulation:
   • Instaquim’s enzymatic detergents are specifically engineered to be non-foaming, since foam buildup inside a closed-loop CIP circulation system disrupts flow and cleaning consistency in a way it wouldn’t in an open-wash application.
   • This non-foaming requirement is a CIP-specific engineering constraint that distinguishes these industrial products from general-purpose enzymatic cleaners not designed for closed-loop recirculation.
2. Base Detergent Plus Concentrated Enzyme Booster as a Two-Product Architecture:
   • Instaquim sells Ten Cip (or Enzi NF) as the primary circulating detergent alongside Enzim Pro, a separate concentrated enzyme-mixture additive specifically for biofilm prevention and elimination — a two-product architecture rather than a single all-in-one formulation.
   • This suggests biofilm control is treated as a distinct technical problem from routine soil removal, requiring a more concentrated or differently formulated enzyme blend than the base cleaning cycle alone provides.
3. Finished Detergent Versus Raw Enzyme Ingredient as Different Points in the Supply Chain:
   • Instaquim and Kersia Group sell finished, branded detergent products directly usable in a CIP system, while Yida Biotech sells raw liquid enzyme concentrates as formulation ingredients for other companies to compound into their own detergent products.
   • This means Yida Biotech is not necessarily a competitor to a finished-detergent producer for the same customer — it may instead be a supplier to a detergent formulator who is itself a customer of, or competitor to, the finished-product producers listed here.

07Value chains and production pipelines#

Industrial pipeline of a bio-clean-in-place product line#

┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Enzyme Sourcing/        │ ───> │ 2. Detergent Formulation    │
│    Production                │      │                              │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
                                                 │
                                                 ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Soil/Biofilm             │ <─── │ 3. CIP System               │
│    Degradation               │      │    Circulation                │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
              │
              ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Cleaning Verification   │ ───> │ 6. Equipment Return to      │
│                              │      │    Production                 │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘

Stage 1: Enzyme sourcing/production

The producer sources or produces microbial-derived enzymes (protease, lipase, amylase, cellulase) via fermentation, the stage where Yida Biotech’s business (selling this stage’s output as an ingredient) diverges from the finished-detergent producers.

Stage 2: Detergent formulation

The enzyme concentrate is formulated into a finished, non-foaming CIP detergent or a concentrated biofilm-additive product engineered for closed-loop circulation compatibility.

Stage 3: CIP system circulation

The enzymatic detergent is circulated through the processing equipment’s existing closed-loop CIP plumbing, using the same infrastructure as conventional caustic or acid cleaning.

Stage 4: Soil/biofilm degradation

The enzymes degrade protein, fat, starch and biofilm residue on interior equipment surfaces, the stage where the product’s core cleaning function is performed.

Stage 5: Cleaning verification

Residual soil, microbial load or ATP levels are tested to confirm the cleaning cycle met food-safety hygiene standards, generating the compliance data required before equipment returns to production.

Stage 6: Equipment return to production

The cleaned, verified equipment is returned to food or beverage production use — the stage where the enzymatic CIP cycle’s commercial value (minimized downtime, reduced caustic handling and wastewater burden) is realized by the processing plant.