INSECTICIDAL PROPERTY OF CHILI FRUIT (Capsicum frutescens Linn:

FAMILY SOLANACEAE) EXTRACT

AGAINST COCKROACH

A THESIS

Presented to the faculty

Of Medical Technology department
School of Allied Medicine
Universidad de Zamboanga
Zamboanga City

In partial fulfillment
Of the requirements in research writing

By

BLESSED JOY L. GUINANAD

ELYBEE E. ALVIAR
REHAM A. QUE

January 2016
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Chili is a plant that puts fire on your tongue and maybe even a tear in your
eyes. As we all know Filipino people love to eat chili. Most of the people cannot
eat without the taste of the burning fire of the chili they tend to find a chili or even
ask from there grandsons/daughters to get a chili from their backyards or garden,
and there are some people afraid to eat chili because they cannot resist the heat
of the chili pepper specially among children.

The birds eye chili or commonly known as siling labuyo or Chili Pepper
Scientific Name: Capsicum frutescens backyard plant in the Philippines
especially in the province. Its plant growing to a height of 0.8 to 1.5 meters only,
as many of us know it, is a favorite spice of many Filipino people.
(http://philfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/06/sili-philippine-chilies.html)

The leaves are known source of iron and calcium and Filipinos use them as
vegetable and a popular ingredient to Filipino dishes such as “tinola” and
“monggo”. The pepper fruit grows numerously per one stem and are in bright red
when ripe. It grows to 1.5 to 2.5 cm long.  Filipinos believe that the smaller and
the brighter the red color of the pepper fruit is, the stronger the chili taste is.  
Siling labuyo is a small chili pepper it is commonly found in the Philippines.
(http://philfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/06/sili-philippine-chilies.html)
 2

Siling Labuyo contains have a strong and spicy taste that comes to them
from the active alkaloid compounds capsaicin, capsanthin and capsorubin.
Capsaicin it is a chemical compound that causes the burning sensation in the
mouth. With that hot and burning feeling, capsaicin triggers the brain to kick out
flood of endorphins, a natural pain killer of the body that promotes sense of well
being and stimulation. Capsaicin is being studied as an effective treatment for
sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis,psoriasis,
and diabetic neutropathy. When animals is injected with a substance that causes
inflammatory arthritis were fed a diet that contained capsaicin, they had delayed
onset of arthritis, and also significantly reduced paw inflammation.
(http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/chili-peppers.html)

Capsaicin in considered as a safe and effective topical analgestic agent in

the management of arthritis pain, herpes zoster related pain, diabetic neupathy,
mastectomy pain, and headaches. However, a study published in 2010 has
linked capsaicin to skin cancer. Capsaicin is also a defense mechanism against
microbial fungi that invade through punctures made in the outer skin by various
insects.Capsaicin extracted from chilies is used In pepper spray as an irritant, a
form of less-lethal weapon.  Capsaicin can irritate or burn your eyes or hands.
Chili oil can stick to the skin, so wash hands thoroughly after handling the
peppers and be cautious about touching your hands to your eyes. Beware that
pepper dust from grinding dried peppers can irritate throat and eyes.
(http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/chili-peppers.html)
 3

Red chilis contain high amounts of vitamin C and carotene ("provitamin A").

Yellow and especially green chilis (which are essentially unripe fruit) contain a
considerably lower amount of both substances. In addition, peppers are a good
source of most B vitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high
in potassium and high in magnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can
also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in
a meal, such as beans and grains.

(http://www.chilipepper.com/Information/tabid/58/Default.aspx)

Anatomical parts of chili, peduncle it is a little more or less long branch to

which end is the flower, calyx or crown is the structural base of the flower. It is
generally green in color and its vertices are called sepals. In the case of chili is a
persistent calyx as it preserves with fruit, seeds contain a very low amount of
water but rich in lecithin. Contrary to popular belief, the seeds do not contain
capsaicin although since they are a accamti to capsaiciniche glands, can absorb
a little, placenta it is an organ responsible for metabolic changes between fruit
and seed. Depending on the variety of chili can be different colors. White, yellow,
or reddish hue, capsaicin glands are situated between the placenta and the
endocarp and are the true sources of hotness. Produce the capsaicin, endocarp
it is the inside of the fruit, one that encloses the placrnta and seeds, mescarp
intermediate between the endocarp and the exocarp.it is the flesh of the fruit that
usually contains most of the water content and provide structural support,
exocarp it is the outer protective layer of a fruit commonly called peel, apex it is
the terminal portion of the fruit, The tip. Depending on the variety can be more or
less rounded. (http://www.chileplanet.eu/Chili-anatomy.html)
 4

Chilies, with their internal, edible seeds,are most definitely a fruit. Along
with tomatoes, zucchini, okra, and eggplant, they are the most common fruits-
eaten-like vegetables. Other veggie-like fruits include, basically, anything not
sweet, with seeds, that needs to be consumed to be propagated. Vegetables, on
the other hand, are the edible parts of plants, often (but not always) lacking
seeds.Chilies straddle the border, a fruit technically, a vegetable in our salads
and curries. Perhaps some of the confusion comes from the fact that, well, chili
peppers don’t want to be eaten by us. That’s why they produce capaicum, the
chemical substance that is felt by our tongues as pungent spiciness. Their
intended targets are birds, who cannot taste capaicum and thus transported chili
peppers seeds far and wide in South America. (http://spicyquest.com/are-chilies-
fruits-or-vegetables/)

Chili powder is also rich in several important minerals. One tablespoon

contains 143.7 milligram of potassium, or 4.1 percent of your daily
recommendation; 22.7 milligram of phosphorus, or 2.3 percent of your daily
recommendation; 20.9 milligrams of calcium, or 2.1 percent of your daily
recommendation; and 1.1 milligrams of iron, or 5.9 percent of your daily
recommendation. It also contains 0.2 mg each of zinc and manganese and 0.5
micorgrams of selenium. Each 1-tablespoon serving of chili powder contains 23.6
calories, with 1.3 grams of total fat, or about 2 percent of your daily
recommendation, and 0.2 grams of saturated fat, or about 1 percent of your daily
recommendation. It contains no cholesterol, as well as 4.1 grams of total
carbohydrates, 2.6 grams of dietary fiber, 0.5 grams of total sugars and 0.9
grams of protein. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/434794-chili-powder-health-
benefits/)
 5

Chili are mildly addictive. Chili Peppers contain capsaicin, a natural chemical

that sends a burning sensation from the nerve endings in the mouth to the brain.
(www.hot-headz.com/chilli-faqs)

Insecticides are poisons used for chemical control. Insecticides often are
used on a large scale. Low-flying airplanes and helicopters treat fields, forests,
and swamps with insecticides. Large power- driven sprayers protect orchards.
Gaseous insecticides, called fumigants, are used in enclosed spaces, such as
grain warehouses, ship, and airplanes. In homes, people use spray guns and
aerosol bombs to kill pests. In small gardens, hand-held applicators are used to
spray or dust insecticides on plants. (http://www.edu-sciece.com/2012/11/the-
insecticidal-potential-of-chili.html)

Cockroaches have flat bodies that range in color from tan to dark brown.
They move on six legs, and use two long antennae to smell and identify potential
food sources. Size varies depending on species, but can range from ½ to 2
inches long. You’ll see wings on many species of cockroaches, but curiously,
most types of roaches don’t fly. Multiple lenses in their eyes enhance vision and
give cockroaches the ability to view many things simultaneously. Female roaches
lay up to 50 eggs at a time, all of them enclosed in one egg case. Some species
drop the egg case, while others carry the case next to their abdomens until the
roaches hatch. Young roaches, called nymphs, are soft and white when they’re
born. In just a few hours, their color changes to light or grayish brown and their
shells start to harden. During their lifespan, they’ll shed their shells, or molt,
several times. Each time they molt, their shells will darken and they’ll gradually
take on their adult appearance. That process can take three months to over one
 6

year, depending on the species. Roaches live an average of one to two years,
depending on the species. Homes and restaurants provide the ideal conditions
for cockroach life, and that’s where you’ll find many of them. Cockroaches aren’t
picky eaters. They’ll eat a variety of food and non-food items, including meat,
candy, soap, grease, starch, beer, leather, glue and even hair. Some roaches
prefer the dark, moist areas found in kitchens and bathrooms, while others like to
live under furniture or in closets. You’ll probably see more roaches once the sun
sets. If you happen to move your refrigerator, pull up an old baseboard or repair
a pipe, you might notice them scurrying away from the light.
(http://animals.mom.me/characteristics-roaches-6504.html)

This information arise our curiosity to conduct A study on the insecticidal

property of chili specifically its fruit ( Capsicum Frutescens) against cockroach.