"The Effectiveness of Lemon juice, Lemongrass, Coconut vinegar, and Black

pepper as a Mosquitoes Repellent"

Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction

Mosquitoes are common flying insects that live in most part of the world. Over

3500 types of mosquitoes can be found in the world. Not all mosquitoes bites the people

or animals. When mosquitoes bites the people, the most common reaction of the

mosquitoes bite are itching and swelling. Some mosquitoes can be a vector. The germs or

virus that mosquitoes carry can make you sick and suddenly can cause death.

Mosquito repellent are equipment that are used to protect the body for the bites of

mosquitoes that can cause local or systematic affects. Whilst some bites cause only local

skin irritation. Repellent helps people avoid bites from mosquitoes and other biting

anthropoids.

Lemon juice have seen some discussion as a natural mosquito repellent in folk

medicine circles for sometime. Lemon produced a strong odor and it has citronella.

Lemongrass is a tall herb that is abundantly from in tropical and sub - tropical areas. The

plant gives off a light Lemony fragrance. Coconut vinegar is a sour liquid that produced

overpowering smell and has a solution of aqueous solution of acetic acid. Black pepper is

a flowering vine that is highly effective natural repellent.

The chemical products we usually use are expensive. So, the purpose of this

experiment is to provide a mosquito repellent that can be used by everyone. This study

will help you to repel mosquito in the most affordable way. The production of mosquito
repellent from lemon juice, lemongrass, coconut vinegar and black pepper will stand as a

remedy to this problem.

Statement of the problem

This study was conducted to make a natural mosquito repellent using lemon juice,
lemongrass, coconut vinegar and black pepper to determine the effectiveness of the
product.

Specifically it aims to answer the following;

Does the natural material effective to repel mosquitoes?

Is there a significant difference of using natural materials to create a mosquito repellent

than conventional products of mosquito repellent?

Hypothesis

This study aimed to prove the given hypothesis:

A. Null Hypothesis (Ho)

-There is no significant difference between commercial product of mosquito

repellent and organic mosquito repellent.

B. Alternative Hypothesis (Ha)

-There is a significant difference between commercial product of mosquito

repellent and organic mosquito repellent.

Significance of the study

This study was conducted to determine if lemon juice, lemongrass, coconut

vinegar and black pepper can be used as a mosquito repellent. Many people especially the
parents would benefit this study because it provides information on how to make an

effective mosquito repellent using readily available materials.

Scope and limitation of the study

The study is limited to the potential of lemon juice, lemongrass, coconut vinegar,

and coconut oil used as a mosquito repellent. This study was conducted at Poblacion,

Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay. This study is one day to finish.

Definition of terms

The following terms are defined operationally.

Lemon - a yellow citrus fruit that has a sour taste.

Coconut vinegar/vinegar - is a sour liquid that is used to flavor foods.

Black pepper - is a food seasoning that is made by grinding dried berries of an

Indian plants.

Acetic Acid - a colorless pungent liquid acid.

Vector - an insect or animals that carries germs.

Germs - a very small living that causes disease.

 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents related literature to the study that can found from books,

internet, etc. The related literature to the study presented below.

Related Literature

According to Encyclopedia that DEET (chemical name, N, N-diethyl-

metatoluamide) is the first mosquito repellent invented in 1946 by Samuel Gertler of the

US Department of Agriculture.

Mosquito repellent is a substance designed to keep away mosquitoes, thereby

preventing them from biting humans and feeding on human blood. It typically contains an

active ingredient that repels mosquitoes and secondary ingredients that, among other

things, dilute the active ingredient to a desired concentration and help in releasing the

active ingredient when needed. Mosquito repellents are available as creams, lotions, oils,

and sticks, which are applied directly on the skin. They are primarily composed of water,

surfactants, fatty alcohol, fragrance, and other emollients.

Lemongrass also known as Cymbopogon, is a genus of Asian, African,

Australian, and Tropical Island plants in the grass family. Some species (particularly

Cymbopogon citratus) are commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because

of their scent, resembling that of lemons (Citrus limon). (Wikipedia)

Related Studies

The research of John Daniel Gumban (2013), entitled "The effectiveness of lemon

grass as natural mosquito repellent." The study has found out that lemon grass is an

effective and alternative natural insect repellent. The result of the present study would

provide knowledge and information about lemon grass as insect repellent. Additionally,

this study will produce significant and relevant information for future studies regarding to

insect repellent.

In the research made by Luiz Carlson, et.al.,. entitled "Extraction of Lemon Grass

Essential Oil with Dense Dioxide". The composition of samples collected during the first

and last hours of the extraction experiments was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass

spectrometry, and coextraction of cuticular waxes was observed. Liquid carbon dioxide

extracts had a larger quantity of coextracted waxes than the supercritical extracts. The

process condition of 120 bar and 40°Celsius was considered for the extraction of lemon

grass essential oil, as a good- quality product was obtained together with a good

extraction rate and yield.

There was another research entitled "The Effectiveness of Lemon Grass and

Lemon Balm Use as Natural Mosquito Killer" by Danica Joy Aclan, Harvey Aguitong,

et.al.,. This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the effectiveness of the

lemon grass and lemon balm as natural mosquito killer, based on the killed mosquitoes.

So the researcher conducted an observation to test the quality of the product. The data

obtained the ability of LGB Coil and the Commercial Coil to kill mosquitoes. With the

data gathered, the researchers conclude that the LGB Coil can kill mosquitoes but not as

much as the Commercial Coil. This study thereby rejects the null hypothesis and accepts
the alternative hypothesis which states that it is possible to kill mosquitoes by using

Lemon grass and Lemon balm leaves.

Chapter III
 MATERIALS AND METHODS

This chapter presents the material used and the methods employed by the
researcher during the conduct of the study.

Materials

1. Lemon juice

2. Lemongrass

3. Coconut vinegar

4. Black pepper

5. Boiling water

6. Plastic spray bottle

7. Measuring cups

8. Knife

9. Bowl

10. Strainer

Methods
 Preparation in making mosquitoes repellent:

1. Slice the lemongrass into tiny pieces.

2. Pour a 1 cup of boiling water into the bowl and, add the slice lemongrass and 1

teaspoon of black pepper.

3. Using the strainer, filter the lemongrass and black pepper carefully.

4. Pour the filtrate water, 1 cup of coconut vinegar, and 1/8 cup of lemon juice into

the plastic spray bottle.

5. Then shake the solution until fully mixed.

Data Gathered Procedure

The researcher catch a mosquitoes and placed it in a transparent container. Then

spray the mixed solution of lemon juice, lemongrass, coconut vinegar, and black pepper

into the container. The researcher will leave and let the solution repel the mosquitoes for

a minutes. After 2-3 minutes, the mosquitoes in the container that is sprayed by that

mosquitoes repellent will gonna suffocate and eventually die.

Documentation

During the conduct of the study, photographs was taken accordingly which serves

as the basis that the study was conducted.