Lemongrass(Cympogon) As Dishwashing Liquid
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
As of now, we’re always buying our daily needs at the grocery stores. We
always keep on buying them for us to use even if they are expensive.
Apparently, not all of us can afford to buy those things.Dishwashing liquid is one
of those. It is usually a highly-foaming mixture of surfactants with low skin
irritation, and is primarily used for hand washing of glasses, ((plates, cutlery, and
cooking utensils in a sink or bowl. In addition to its primary use, dishwashing
liquid also has various informal applications, such as for creating bubbles, and
clothes washing. If we weren’t able to buy those things, we have no utensils to
use.So the researchers decided to make an alternative for this liquid, a cheaper
product and can be made in an easier way. It’s because the ingredients can be
found easily.Lemongrass may prevent the growth of some bacteria and yeast
and it has antioxidant properties. It contains substances that are used to
alleviate muscle pain, reduce fever, and to stimulate uterus and menstrual
flow.Lemongrass is also known by Cymbopogon; it is a genus of about 55
species of grasses. Lemongrass grows in dense clumps that can grow 6 feet in
height and 4 feet in width. It is native to warm and tropical regions, such as
India, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. It is used as a medicinal herb in India and it
is common in Asian cuisine. In African and South American countries, it is
popularly used for making tea.Lemongrass is an herb that belongs to the grass
family of Poaceae. Lemongrass oil has a light and fresh lemony smell with
earthy undertones. It is stimulating, relaxing, soothing, and balancing.The citral
and limonene content in lemongrass oil can kill or stifle the growth of bacteria
and fungi. This will help you avoid getting infections such as ringworm, athlete’s
foot, or other types of fungus. Studies in rats have proved that lemongrass
essential oil is an effective antifungal and antibacterial agent. Take advantage of
these lemongrass oil benefits by making your own body or foot scrub- you can
find the recipe below.Lemongrass is unique because it has antimicrobial,
antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. Just like its distant cousin, lemons, it's a
natural astringent with some serious antiseptic properties.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study is aimed to determine the effect of lemongrass on a dishwashing
liquid. Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:
1.Is the product affordable?
2.Are the ingredients cheap to make a dishwashing liquid?
3.Is the product more effective than the other commercial dishwashing liquids?
ASSUMPTION AND HYPOTHESIS
The researchers’ assumption and hypothesis are: The product is affordable
because its ingredients can be bought in a low price. The main ingredient in
making it is the lemongrass which can be found easily – gardens. It came from
the plant – family. It does not contain any chemicals and it is renewable. The
ingredients used are cheap. The researchers’ think that it more effective than
other other commercial dishwashing liquids because it can kill bacteria and has
antifungal properties which is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatie used to
treat and prevent mycoses such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, candidiasis, serious
systematic infectious such as cryptococal meningitis, and others that others
does not contain.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is intended to determine the effects of the lemongrass on a
dishwashing liquid; to make a cheaper alternative of those that can be bought
on the grocery store. It is highly benefitiary for those people that usually use kitchens
like commercial establishments such as restaurants, hotels and motels. It is also use in
industrial,hospitals, household kitchens, nursing homes and schools. Because dirty
dishes and dirty kitchens can cause problems with food safety, disease and inspections.
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study was conducted in BangaNational High School. This was conducted
by the researcher to determine the effects of the extracted lemongrass to the
dishwashing liquid during the school year 2019-2020.
CHAPTER 2
REAVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Cymbopogon citratus also known as Lemongrass is an herb which belongs to
the grass family of Poaceae. It is well known and utilized for its distinct lemon
flavor and citrusy aroma. It is a tall, perennial grass which is native to India and
tropical regions of Asia. It is a coarse and tufted plant with linear leaves that
grows in thick bunches, emerging from a strong base and standing for about 3
meters in height with a meter-wide stretch. In addition to its culinary usage,
lemongrass offers a wide array of medicinal benefits and is in extensive demand
due to its antibacterial, anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties across Southeast
Asia, as well as the African and American continents. The genus Cymbopogon
comprises of 55 species of grass, two of which are referred to as Lemongrass.
These are West Indian lemongrass or Cymbopogon citratus which is famously
preferred for culinary use and East Indian lemongrass or Cymobopogon
flexuosus which is used in the manufacturing of various products such as
fragrances because of its extended shelf life, owing to the low amount of
myrcene in that variety.
SOURCE: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-
benefits-of-lemongrass.html (2016)
The genus Cymbopogon belongs to the grass family, Poaceae (syn.
Gramineae). The Poaceae family has about 700 genera and 11,000 species:
widely distributed in all regions of the world. Cymbopogon is a genus comprising
about 180 species, subspecies, varieties, and subvarities. (Bertea and Maffei,
2010) Cymbopogon species found within the aromatherapy industry include: C.
citratus (lemongrass), C. martinii var. motia and sofia (palmarosa and ginger
-grass respectively), C. flexuosus (lemongrass), C. winterianus (Java citronella),
C. nardus (Ceylon citronella), and C. nardus x C. jwarancusa (jamrosa). There
are two main types of Lemongrass: East Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon
flexuosus (Nees ex Steud.) J.F. Watson) which is considered to have its origins
in southern India and West Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC ex
Nees) Stapf) which is thought to have its origin in Malaysia and is mainly
cultivated in Central and South America and parts of Africa, South East Asia and
the Indian Ocean Islands. Both species produce an essential oil rich in citral.
Cymbopogon plants are tall (up to and above 1 m) perennial plants, with narrow
and long leaves that are mostly characterized by the presence of silica thorns
aligned on the leaf edges. Leaves bear glandular hairs, usually each with a
basal cell that is wider than the distal cell.
SOURCE: http://theida.com/lemongrass-cymbopogon-citratus/ (2016)
There is significant evidence pointing to anti-cancer, antiviral, and antifungal
activity of the essential oil of lemongrass. There is also some evidence of
analgesic (pain-relieving) effects. However, as with many herbal teas, human
studies of the health
effects of lemongrass are sparse. It remains uncertain the degree to which these
benefits carry through to tea drinkers. A mixture of chemicals, called citral, found
in lemongrass as well as lemon balm, lemon verbena, and also lemon and other
citrus fruit, was found to induce cell death in cancer cells, leading people to
consume lemongrass tea as a treatment for cancer.[1] In vitro experiments have
found the essential oil of lemongrass was shown to have strong antiviral activity,
both against human viruses[2] and plant viruses such as tobacco mosaic virus.
[3] In vitro studies have also found significant antifungal activity.[4] One study on
rats found an infusion of lemongrass leaves to have analgesic (pain-killing)
properties due to the chemical myrcene; this chemical was found to act by a
mechanism different from that of aspirin-like drugs.[5] As many of the active
ingredients in lemongrass are shared in common among other lemon-scented
herbs, it is likely that the health benefits of lemongrass overlap somewhat with
these other herbs.
SOURCE: http://ratetea.com/style/lemongrass/92/ (2016)
A detergent is an effective cleaning product because it contains one or more
surfactants. Because of their chemical makeup, the surfactants used in
detergents can be engineered to perform well under a variety of conditions.
Such surfactants are less sensitive than soap to the hardness minerals in water
and most will not form a fìlm.
Detergent surfactants were developed in response to a shortage of animal and
vegetable fats and oils during rVodd War I and Vodd lVar II. In addition, a
substance that was resistant to hard water was needed to make cleaning more
effective. At that time, petroleum was found to be a plentiftll source for the
manufacture of these surfactants. Today, detergent surfactants are made from a
variety of petrochemicals (derived from petroleum) and/or oleochemicals
(derived from fats and oils).
Soaps and detergents are essential to personal ancl public health. Through their
ability to loosen and remove soil from a surface, they contribute to good
personal hygiene; reduce the presence of germs that cause infections diseases;
extend the useful life of clothes, tableware , linens, surfaces ancl furnishings;
and make our homes and workplaces more pleasant. Soaps and detergents
found in thc home can be grouped into four general categories: personal
cleansing, laundry, dishwashing ancl household cleaning. Within each category
are different product types formulated with ingredients
selected to perform a broad cleaning function as well as to deliver properties
specifìc to that product. Knowing the different products and their ingredients
helps you select the right product for the cleaning job.
SOURCE: SOAPS AND DETERGENTS BOOK
Detergency Implications
Low liquid – liquid interfacial tension is important in promoting oil emulsification.
The energy input required for emulsification is closely related to interfacial
tension value during the process. The minimum work is involved is the product
of the interfacial tension and the increase in the interfacial areas. In any case
system will spontaneously revert to two bulk phases unless there is an
interfacial film present that produces steric and/or electrical barriers to
coalescence the dispersed air droplets Although low interfacial tension is a
necessary condition, emulsions are generally discussed in terms of stabilization
against all possible emulsion breakdown mechanisms.
SOURCE: HANDBOOK OF DETERGENTS
