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Essay / Cucumber Fruit (Averrrhoa Bilimbi) as an Antibacterial Disinfectant
Poverty is one of the recurring and worrying problems in the world that has affected countries, especially third world countries, including the Philippines. In the first half of 2014, 25.8 percent of the Philippine population suffered from poverty, which fell to 21.6 percent in 2015 and then increased to 26.3 percent the following year. This means that every year, more than nineteen million Filipinos suffer from lack of basic needs, such as food, shelter and health problems. Sanitation is necessary to promote health and prevent the transmission of diseases, especially contagious ones that are transmitted through skin contact and fluids. Due to limited or no access to sanitation, the poor population is the common victim of pandemics and epidemics such as diarrhea. One way to combat this global problem would be to stop transmission, for example through disinfectants, but most of the poverty-stricken population cannot afford its costs. It is for this reason that they tend to resort to ethnomedicine. They do this by finding medicinal and natural plants that can prevent the spread of infectious diseases, with cucumber fruit being one of the plants used for the aforementioned purposes, probably due to its prevalence in the Philippines. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Cucumber fruit, or better known as kamias or bilimbi in Tagalog language, is a yellowish green fruit and very acid commonly found in the Southeast. Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. There are also some relationships between starfruit; the difference being its sour flavor. It is a natural source of vitamins B and C, iron, phosphorus and antioxidants. Although it is not as well known as other tropical fruits, it does have beneficial properties. According to a study investigating the phytochemical properties of cucumber fruit, its chloroform and methanol fruit extracts were active against different types of pathogenic bacteria. In another study, oxalic acid from cucumber fruit had an effect on particular species of bacteria. like S. aureus, however, another study found that an overdose of oxalic acid can cause acute renal failure, caused by an increase in serum oxalate levels and accumulation of calcium oxalate crystals in the tubules renal. Research relating to the antimicrobial properties of underutilized fruits from Malaysia (cucumber fruit is one of them) concluded that any part of the cucumber fruit has antimicrobial activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which which means that the extermination of the most beneficial bacteria can occur. Overall, various studies have proven that cucumber fruit is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial. Thanks to the aforementioned properties of the cucumber fruit, as well as its availability, it can be easily used for medicinal purposes. The antimicrobial properties of cucumber fruit can be used in a disinfectant to eliminate disease-causing bacteria and prevent the transmission of diseases, especially those transmitted through physical contact. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom The researchers' goal is to formulate an affordable disinfectant that can be accessible to everyone, even the poor, and provide another substitute for household disinfectants, which may contain chemicals that can have a negative effect on a the health of the.