ESPOCH Congresses (Jun 2022)

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the alcohol-gel made with essential oil of lemon verbena (Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf) in the disinfection of hands

  • Cristina Nataly Villegas Freire,
  • Linda Mariuxi Flores Fiallos,
  • Cumanda Beatriz Játiva Gavilanes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18502/espoch.v2i2.11434
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 2
pp. 886 – 904

Abstract

Read online

Abstract This study consisted on the preparation of an antibacterial gel which contains lemon verbena essential oil in 1% for hands disinfection. The research started with the extraction of the essential oil from the lemon verbena (Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf) by water vapor entrainment; as a result of this process, an oily-looking slightly yellow translucent, astringent taste liquid with a characteristic odor, was obtained. The chemical composition was determined through thin layer chromatography (TLC) on a G254 silica gel plate. Four metabolites were determined (42). Next, the effectiveness test of the lemon verbena essential oil alcohol-gel was conducted; the purpose was to determine if the alcohol-get could decrease the initial count of bacteria in a person's hands. (3) This process was performed by inoculation of hand sampling on PCA and Saboraud agar by the mass seeding method. (37) The use of the gel demonstrated a decrease in the bacterial growth, with an average reduction of 1.18E10 UFC and for the fungi decrease the results were excellent showing results of 100%.

Keywords