Reduced-lipid natural rubber latex

Abstract

A process for reducing the amount of lipids within natural rubber latices comprising the steps of obtaining a natural rubber latex from a guayule bush, the latex having a dry natural rubber content of from about 10 to about 40 percent by weight, adding from about 0.1 to about 25 parts by weight of a surfactant per one hundred parts by weight of dry natural rubber, wherein the surfactant is selected from the group including nonionic, ionic, and amphoteric surfactants, adding from about 1,000 units to about 500,000 units of a lipid reducing enzyme preparation per gram of dry natural rubber, wherein the lipid reducing enzyme preparation is selected from the group including lipases from plant, animal, synthetic and microbial sources, adding a pH buffer to maintain the pH in a range of from about 5 to about 12, mixing the natural rubber latex with the lipid reducing enzyme preparation for a period of between one-half hour to about 24 hours at a temperature of from about 20.degree. C. to about 60.degree. C., separating rubber particles into a concentrated rubber phase from the latex by techniques selected from the group including batchwise centrifugation, continuous centrifugation, and creaming, rinsing the concentrated rubber phase with water until the protein content is less than the protein content in the natural rubber latex.