Development of Herbal Foot Soak Product from Pummelo Peels, a Waste Material in Wang Khanai Community

Abstract

Wang Khanai community, Tha Muang district, Kanchanaburi province has a hot spring for foot spa and a large amount of pummelo (Citrus maxima) peels as an agricultural waste material. Therefore, this research, which is a laboratory study, focuses on developing an herbal foot soak formula from “Khaw Yai” pummelo peels. The pummelo peels, mature phlai (Zingiber cassumunar), asiatic pennywort (Centella asiatica Urban) leaves and tamarind (Tamarindus indica) leaves were dried and ground thoroughly. The moisture content of these ingredients was 4.68%, 6.32%, 4.13% and 4.02%, respectively. Subsequently, the appropriate amount of each herb per 1 package unit (14 grams) were examined based on the overall satisfaction score. The formula with the highest overall satisfaction score consisted of dried pummelo peels, dried phlai, dried asiatic pennywort leaves, dried tamarind leaves, alum and flower of salt, weighing 4.5, 3, 1.5, 3, 1 and 1 grams, respectively. They were mixed together and packed in a tea filter bag (the inner packaging) and a zip bag (the outer packaging), respectively. The production cost was 9.64 bath/package. From the shelf-life testing by storing the herbal foot soak product at room temperature (28-30^oC) for a month, it was found that the quality of the product passed the criteria of Community Product Standard No. 666/2010 including intact packaging, normal smell and color, still in powder form, no fungal hyphae found, moisture content of 7.14%, total plate count of 1.92 cfu/100 g, and yeast and mold count of 2.23 cfu/100 g. This product can reduce the amount of fresh pummelo peel waste material by up to 1,108.37 grams per 100 packages produced.