03981nam a22002177a 4500 KE-MeUCS 20260608163505.0 260608b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d KE-MeUCS KE-MeUCS TP991.O3 2025 Oginga, Elly Evaluation of Physicochemical, Antibacterial, Sensory Properties and Shelf Life of A Bath Soap Containing Camel Milk Cream/ Elly Oginga Meru: Meru University of Science and Technology, 2025. xi, 125p. 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. https://repository.must.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1589 lcc PER MMS 93773 93772 0 0 lcc 0 0 CPL CPL PER 2026-06-08 MUST 0.00 MMS 0 TP991.O3 2025 26-39323 2026-06-08 16:36:39 2026-06-08 TH