Includes Reference

The growing interest in therapeutic and natural personal care products has fuelled the
study for alternative to synthetic ingredients. Camel milk being rich in proteins, vitamins,
and antimicrobial properties, is a promising active ingredient for skin care formulations.
This study, therefore, explored the possibility of using camel milk cream in bath soap
formulation and analysed its physicochemical properties, antibacterial activity and
sensory acceptability. Bath soaps were produced using the cold saponification process
using camel milk cream, palm oil, and coconut oil as primary ingredients. Fresh camel
milk and cream were subjected to compositional and quality analyses, including density
(Lactometer), fat content (Gerber method), and protein content (Kjeldahl method). The
saponification reaction and resultant soap formulations were further analysed using
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to monitor functional group changes
and confirm reaction completion. The formulated soaps were characterized for
physicochemical properties such as pH (multiparameter pH meter), total fatty matter
(gravimetric method), moisture content (oven-drying at 110 °C), foam stability (cylinder
shake test), hardness (cone penetrometer) and alkali content (acid–base titration). Shelf
life was evaluated over 8 weeks by monitoring pH, alkali content, and total fatty matter.
Antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli was determined using the agar well
diffusion method, with inhibition zones analysed by Duncan’s multiple range Test (p <
0.05). Sensory evaluation was performed with 20 untrained panellists aged 18– 37 years
under controlled conditions to assess formability, skin feel, moisturizing, odour, texture,
hardness and overall acceptability. The results were as follows; density of 1.031 g/cm³,
fat content of 43.33 ± 0.58%, and protein content of 1.94 ± 0.07%, respectively. FTIR
confirmed complete saponification by the loss of ester carbonyl (C=O) at 1742 cm⁻¹ and
appearance of carboxylate (COO⁻) at 1554 and 1408 cm⁻¹, while amide bands at 1649
and 1465 cm⁻¹ indicated the presence of proteins from camel milk cream. The formulated
soaps were subjected to determination of some important physicochemical parameters
such as pH (10.17- 11.51), total fatty matter (45.19- 66.43%), moisture content (21.06
33.40%), foam stability (0.33- 1.37 cm), hardness (0.281- 0.639 kPa), alkali content.
Over 8 weeks, the soaps maintained acceptable quality, with moisture decreasing slightly.
Soap samples containing comparatively more concentrations of camel milk cream were
found to have a significantly higher (p < 0.05) antibacterial activity. The sensory
evaluation indicated high consumer acceptability, with positive feedback on the soap's
skin-smoothing and moisturizing effects. All the parameters analysed were compared
with commercial soaps such as Imperial leather. Remarkably, the soap formulated with
20% coconut oil and 20% camel milk cream showed a balanced physicochemical
properties and antibacterial activities comparable to that of Dettol. These findings
suggest that camel milk cream can serve as an effective natural alternative to synthetic
antibacterial agents used in commercial soaps.