ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SOAP MADE FROM ESSENTIAL OILS AND COMMERCIAL SOAP SOLD IN THE LEBANESE MARKET

Background: Thousands of people are dying as a result of infections caused by bacteria. Among the main routes of germ transmission are the hands, making hand hygiene very important in preventing the spread of pathogens and bacterial infection. Hand washing with soap and water is considered to be a simple and effective measure. Old soap manufacturers have long had traditional uses in the Lebanese community. Methods: The purpose of this study is to compare the antibacterial activity of oil-based soaps with commercial soap sold in the Lebanese market. Different types of herbal soap and antiseptics have been used in this study. Four bacterial strains were used: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter Spp. The antibacterial activities of these soaps were determined by the diffusion method of disks in agar medium. Results and Discussion: Statistical analysis of zones of inhibition showed that S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa and Enterobacter Spp. were sensitive only to traditional oil-based soaps, which are Sage, Rose Mary and Cedar. In addition, S. aureus showed sensitivity to soaps comprised of essential oils as well as antibacterial synthetic soap, Dettol and Lifebuoy. On the other hand, E. coli showed resistance to all soaps. Soaps comprised of natural essential oils have shown antibacterial activity superior to so-called “Antibacterial” soaps. Conclusion: Based on this study, we can say that the use of soaps with essential oils might be the best option due to their organic origin as well as their antibacterial proved activities.

Checklist of African Soapy Saponin—Rich Plants for Possible Use in Communities’ Response to Global Pandemics

Plants that exhibit foaming properties when agitated in aqueous solutions are commonly referred to as soapy plants, and they are used in different communities for washing, bathing, and hair shampooing. The frothing ability of these plants is attributed to saponins which are also well-documented to possess antimicrobial attributes. In the light of COVID-19, soap and hand hygiene have taken center stage. The pandemic has also revealed the low access to running water and commercial soaps in many marginalized and poor communities to the detriment of global health. Thus, soapy plants, either in their natural form or through incorporation in commercial products, may be a relevant additional weapon to assist communities to improve hand hygiene and contribute to curbing COVID-19 and other communicable infections. This review paper was compiled from a review of literature that was published between 1980 and 2020. We found 68 plant species, including those which are already used as traditional soaps. Our findings support the potential use of extracts from soapy plants because of their putative viricidal, bactericidal, and fungicidal activities for use in crude home-based formulations and possibly for developing natural commercial soap products.

Antibacterial Activity of Soap Formulated from Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Extract

Allium sativum, commonly known as ‘garlic’ has long been used as an antibacterial agent that can actually inhibits growth of infectious agents and at the same time protect the body from the pathogens. This study was conducted to determine the antibacterial activity of soap from garlic extract using the paper-disc method and Kirby-Bauer antibacterial sensitivity test against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and to determine the physical properties of garlic soap and the presence of saponin through phytochemical screening. Garlic soap showed antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Mean zone of inhibition was numerically higher in plate extract obtained using garlic soap (14.70mm-18mm), compared to commercial soap. Result of phytochemical screening showed the extract from garlic contains saponin, which is an important ingredient for making soap. Physical properties showed unpleasant odor, dirty white color, smooth texture and pH range of 6.5-7.5. Further studies to determine the potential of garlic soap in the other strains of bacteria.

Potassium isomerized linoleate satisfies EPA MB-35-00 for surface disinfection of Candida auris (AR-0381)

Four distinct lots of Potassium Isomerized Linoleate, 442 mM or 141 mg/ml (within the cosmetic-cleanser and commercial-soap acceptable concentration ranges but much greater than physiologic conditions), showed greater than 5 log kill rates (total) for Candida auris (AR-0381) for all carriers during 5 separate procedural runs of EPA MB-35-00. After exposing the inoculated stainless-steel carriers to the plant-oil soap for 1, 2, or 10 minute(s), we recovered no Candida auris on these tested carriers. Control carriers with phosphate-buffered saline applied, recovered 5.0-6.8 Log of colony-forming units per carrier.

Mini-Review: Antibacterial Products from Teak Leaf Extract (Tectona grandis L.)

Teak (Tectona grandis L.) is a plant that has a high resistance to weather changes and termite attacks. The dominant use of teak in the furniture industry left behind its leaf as agricultural waste (agro-waste). Several pharmacological activities have been identified in the teak leaf part. In this review article, the authors gathered information from previous studies regarding the potential use of teak leaf antibacterial compounds to be made into various antibacterial products, namely hand sanitizers, floor disinfectants, fruit and vegetable disinfectants, and deodorant. Literature searches are carried out through search engines and online journal databases. The results of the literature review show that there are at least eight antibacterial compounds from teak leaf that have been isolated, identified, and tested for their activity, namely anthratectone, naphthotectone, juglone, gallic acid, ellagic acid, rutin, quercetin, and sitosterol. Furthermore, it is known that the solvent that can be used for teak leaf extraction by providing the best antibacterial activity is ethanol. This information is used as a recommendation for optimization of teak leaf extraction as part of the author’s suggestion in making antibacterial products. In addition, previous research related to the use of ethanol extract from the teak leaf as an antibacterial product for liquid soap was also included. The study shows that the teak leaf extract liquid soap has promising activity compared to its comparable commercial soap, thereby strengthening the author's idea to utilize teak leaf extract as a component of the active ingredient of other antibacterial products, namely hand sanitizers, floor disinfectants, fruit and vegetable disinfectants, and deodorant.

Production of Antiseptic Tablet Aloe Vera Soap

This research work aimed at investigating some phytochemical constituents present in aloe vera based antiseptic soap and its activity against some selected microorganisms. The soap was produced using hot process and the antimicrobial activity was performed against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia Coli and Candida albicans using the method of agar well diffusion. The produced soap exhibited highest zone of inhibition on Staphylococcus aureus with 8.6 mm, 10.1 mm, 13.8 mm and 15.1 mm at 25 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL and 200 mg/mL respectively, no inhibition was observed on E. Coli while the C. albicans was slightly inhibited by the soap by 7.6 mm, 9.0 mm, 13.2 mm at 50 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL, 200mg/mL respectively. The phytochemical screening conducted confirmed the presence of tannins, saponins, reducing sugar and flavonoid in the plant extract. The results of the investigations clearly indicated that aloe vera based soap had possessed antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms due to the presence of the confirmned phytoconstituents. Likewise pH, formability, and antimicrobial activity of the produced soap were comparable with the commercial soap.

Soap Production Using Vacuum Reactive Distillation: Batch Model

: This research studies the use of vacuum reactive distillation VRD technique for soap production. Olein and Palmitin in the ratio of 3 to 1 were mixed in a flask with NaOH solution in stoichiometric amount under different vacuum pressures from - 0.35 to - 0.5 bar. It was shown that total conversion could be reached by using the VRD technique. The soap produced by the VRD method was compared with the soap prepared by the reaction - only method which is known as the conventional method. The two kinds of soap were compared in these respects : the yield, the reaction temperature, the volume of the co-product liquid and its composition, FTIR analysis, the density, and the time of production. It was shown that the yield of soap using VRD was 2.45 times that produced by the reaction - only method. The process temperature was reduced 0.11 times. The volume of the co-product liquid was reduced 95.76% and it consisted of water only. The analyses of FTIR for the two kinds of soaps were compared with a commercial soap regarded as a standard and they showed identical functional groups. Very little difference in density was recorded. The time of production using VRD method was shorter than the conventional method giving another priority to the VRD method.

Commercial Television in Indonesia

This article sheds light on previously unknown aspects of Indonesian private television by focusing on the role of the ethno-religious minority of Indonesian Sindhi in the establishment and development of commercial soap opera production. Part of the global trading community of Sindhayat, the local Sindhis have mobilized their translocal and transnational networks to take a dominant position in the emerging sector of national media. Grounded in long-term ethnographic fieldwork among media practitioners and Indonesian Sindhi community members, the article examines how Sindhis’ sense of community and shared desires and sentiments have resulted in a lack of variety of television formats and the introduction of Islam-themed soap operas to prime-time television.

Fabrication of Glass Foams from Industrial Wastes Used as Insulating Board

nsulating glass foam (IGF) was successfully fabricated by wet process. The starting proportion of 65 wt% waste glass, 12 wt% slag, 23 wt% commercial soap was added with 15 wt% Na2SiO3 and represented then was sintered at 725 °C. The IGF had cellular structure with the macro-pore size at 0.428 mm and thin cell walls. Density, thermal conductivity and compressive strength were 0.310 g/cm3, 0.130 W/m.K and 0.78 MPa, respectively. The average pore diameter and porosity increased with increasing the Na2SiO3 concentration and the sintering temperature. On the other hand, the density, thermal conductivity and compressive strength were decreased.