Antiseptic Properties of Cocoa Pod Husk Herbal Soap

Abstract

The antiseptic properties of two soaps prepared with the leaves of Azadirachta indica (NEM) and Moringa oleifera (MRG) were evaluated. The study employed Inhibitory activity sensitivity test using Agar-well Diffusion Method to test the antimicrobial activities of the soap samples on four bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeuroginosa) and two fungi (Trichophyton spp. and Candida albicans) and minimum Inhibitory concentration (MIC) obtained using regression analysis. The physical properties of the prepared soap including hardness, foamability and pH were evaluated and results were in consonant with the standard.  The soap samples, MRG and NEM exhibited higher antiseptic properties against the bacteria and fungi tested.  Regression analysis showed that Moringa soap exhibited lower MIC against E. coli (0.00077 mg/mL) and C. albicans (0.0851 mg/mL), Neem soap showed higher antifungal activity against T. rubrum (0.00000099 mg/mL) and B. subtilis while both soaps exhibited poor efficacy against P. aeruginosa. The contact time of the soap samples on the test organisms was not a determining factor in the inhibitory behavior of the samples. The ability of these soaps to inhibit pathogens at low concentrations highlights their potential as natural alternatives to synthetic antiseptics which will warrant the assessment of their synergistic effect, long-term stability and efficacy.