The Feasibility of Kamias, Tomato, Indian Mango, and Kalamansi Extracts

as Organic Stain Removers

SCILIKHA

By

Adriano, Chelsea Terese D.

Ladrillo, Alyssa B.
Moreno, Hannah F.
(ABM 11- B)

(May, 2023)
Introduction

Those working in laundry shops experienced daily difficulties in getting rid of

stubborn stains, especially from ink, ketchup, and soy sauce. Yet, there are a lot of

effective stain removers in the market like commercially prepared products. The most

active ingredient of some bleaching agents is sodium hypochlorite. There was restricted

news regarding numerical trends on worldwide poisoning from sodium hypochlorite. In

the United States of America, poison control center information has proved that

inquiries regarding hypochlorite bleaches have reached from 43,000 to 46,000 every

year over the time 2012-2016. Mechanisms of toxicity: Hypochlorite's potential to cause

toxicity is related to its oxidizing competency and the pH of the solution. Toxicity rises

from its corrosive endeavor upon inverting mucous membranes and skin. Features

following swallow: While narrow unexpected ingestions are very inconceivable to cause

clinically significant toxicity, abundant ingestions may cause corrosive gastrointestinal

injury and fundamental effects, containing metabolic acidosis, hypernatremia, and

hyperchloremia. Features following dental exposure: Hypochlorite is used widely by

dentists for cleansing root canals and is safe if the solution is debris inside the root

canal. Extrusions into the periapical field can result in harsh pain with localized

abundant and diffuse swelling and hemorrhage. Features following skin exposure:

Prolonged or large-scale exposure may cause skin sensitivity and damage to the skin or

dermal irritability. Such exposures can result in either immediate or delayed-type skin

reactions. High accumulation solutions have created harsh synthetic skin burns.

Features following breathing: Although there is only restricted info, the breathing of
hypochlorite alone are inclined to lead to merely gentle irritation of the upper airways.

Features following eye exposure: Corneal injuries from sight exposure are mainly mild

with blazing discomfort and detail disturbance of the corneal epithelium with

improvement within 1 or 2 days. With greater concentration solutions, harsh eye

sensitivity can happen (Slaughter et al., 2019).

Stain removal, a frequent and challenging issue in garment care, often leads to

discarding clothes due to damage caused by stains during stain removal attempts,

making it crucial to learn and adhere to proper stain removal procedures as a means of

extending the clothing budget, particularly important in today's context (Munson,1991).

The problems of staining and stain removal, which have been apparent for generations,

have prompted the publication of techniques for spot and stain removal dating back to

the sixteenth century (Paddack 1977). Many stain procedures are still in use today, and

many others have been replaced with new immunostaining, molecular, non-culture, and

other advanced staining techniques. Some staining methods have been abandoned

because the chemicals required have been medically proven to be toxic (Alturkistani et.

al., 2015). Successful stain removal involves selecting an appropriate method that

considers both the type of stain and fabric, taking into account the potential effects on

the fabric's appearance and fibers, while certain stains and delicate fabrics may require

professional dry cleaning (McLendon,1964). When treating a stain, it is crucial to

consider the fabric of your garment, such as cotton, synthetic, wool, or silk, as it will

significantly influence the stain removal approach (Cleanipedia PH, n.d.). With the toxic
and harm caused by commercially prepared stain removers to the body, hence this

study was conducted.

This study aims to substitute chemical stain remover with organic fruit extracts in

reducing stains on cotton fabric.

Research Questions

 What are the effects of Kamias, Tomato, Indian Mango, and Kalamansi extracts

in reducing stains on cotton fabrics?

 What is the level of effectivity in using Kamias, Tomato, Indian Mango, and

Kalamansi extracts in reducing stains on cotton fabrics?

 Which of the different extracts is the most effective in reducing stains on cotton

fabrics?

• What chemical substances contribute to the effectiveness of organic stain

remover?

• Is there a significant difference in the effects of the different extracts from

Kamias, Tomato, Indian Mango, and Kalamansi in reducing stains on the cotton

fabrics?
Preliminary Literature Review

According to Kabir, et al., (2017) Mango (Mangifera indica L.), which belongs to

the family Anacardiaceae, is a rich source of various bioactive phytochemical

compounds. Mango polyphenols, like other polyphenolic compounds, work mainly as

antioxidants, a property that enables them to protect human cells against damage due

to oxidative stress leading to lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and many degenerative

diseases. Mangiferin, gallic acids, gallotannins, quercetin, isoquercitrin, ellagic acid, and

β-glucogallin are among the polyphenolic compounds identified in the mango pulp. The

fruit acidity of mango is attributed mainly to the content of citric and malic acids

(Matheyambath et al., 2016), although other common organic acids from the

tricarboxylic acid cycle have been reported in mango fruit including citric, oxalic,

succinic, malic, and pyruvic as well as tartaric, muconic, gal pic, glucuronic, and

galacturonic acids; of these, citric is the major organic acid [0.13% to 0.71% fresh

weight (FW)] (Shashirekha and Patwardhan, 1976; Sarker and Muhsi, 1981; Medlicott

and Thompson, 1985; Tharanathan et al., 2006). Indian mangoes have a PH level of

2.77 to 3.01.    

Kamias also known as Averrhoa bilimbi is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus

Averrhoa, family Oxalidaceae an ethanolic fruit that contains oxalic acid (Lao,2015). The

content of oxalic acid in the kamias extract could scrape stains on the cotton cloth. The

chemical constituents of A. bilimbi include amino acids, citric acids, cyanidin-3-o-h-

glucoside, phenolics, potassium ions, and sugars.  A. bilimbi is a nutrition-packed,

starchy fruit that grows mostly on the trunk of tall trees. It is a rich source of vitamin C.

Kamias has a PH level of 0.9 to 1.

Tomato belongs to the Solanaceae family. The cultivated tomato belongs to the

species Solanum lycopersicum, while Solanum pimpinellifolium is the closest wild

relative with a divergence of only 0.6% nucleotide base pairs (Nakayama, 2012).

Tomatoes contain minerals, vitamins, proteins, essential amino acids (leucine,

threonine, valine, histidine, lysine, arginine), monounsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and

linolenic acids), carotenoids (lycopene and β-carotenoids) and phytosterols (β-sitosterol,

campesterol, and stigmasterol). Tomato has a PH level of 4.3 to 4.

Calamansi (Citrofortunella microcarpa), which is indigenous to the Philippines, is

one of the fruit crops of the country. The products of Calamansi: concentrates, purees,

syrups, and juices are used as a flavoring agent to further enhance iron absorption.

According to Morton, (n.d) the extracted juice, with the addition of gum tragacanth as

an emulsifier, is pasteurized and bottled commercially then it is used to bleach ink

stains from fabrics and serves as a body deodorant in the Philippines. Calamansi is

usually abundant from June to October. It is cheaper than bleaches like hydrogen

peroxide which costs Php 18.00 per bottle, and stain remover detergents which usually

costs Php 35.00. It costs Php 1.50 to Php 3.00 per Calamansi fruit but it is usually

bought in kilograms which costs Php 50 to Php 80 Calamansi has 5.52% Citric acid

concentration and 2.4 to 2.6 PH level.

Scope and Delimitation

The study only focuses on four (4) extracts from Kamias, Tomato, Indian Mango,

and Kalamansi as potential stain reducers to test the different stains from Ink, Ketchup,

and Soy sauce with water as the negative control. The researchers used crude extracts

from four (4) organic fruits from (1) Calamansi (2) Indian Mango, (3) Kamias, and (4)

Tomato. The researchers may check the fruits to be used in a way that they are of

equal age, size, and weight. The researchers will measure the effect of the different

extracts on different types of stains in the cotton fabric particularly on their physical

appearance based on the fading scale rubric for reducing stains as prepared by the

researchers.

Methodology

This study will use qualitative and quantitative research designs. The

researchers will (1) Prepare the materials needed. (2) Extracts the juice from the fruits

to be used (kamias, calamansi, tomato, and Indian mango) by crushing them using a

juicer and filtering them with filter paper to attain fiber-free juice extracts. Then, (3)

Place each juice in its respective clean container, with a cover to avoid contamination.

And, (4) measure each extract using a digital scale to a weight of 20 ml. each. (5) Cut

the white fabric cloth (cotton) into palm-sized squares. Spread the white fabric on a flat

surface. Then, (6) prepare the crude extracts to be tested with soy sauce, ketchup, and
ink. Use a dropper to stain about one (1) ml. of all cotton fabrics with ink, ketchup, and

soy sauce and let them air dry. Then, use a separate dropper to apply the different

extracts and water about one (1) ml. in all stained cotton fabrics. And lastly,(7) wait for

10 minutes to see the effects of extracts on the stains. And compare the physical

appearance of the stained clothes with extracts to the standardized fading scale on

clothes or fabrics.

Data Presentation & Analysis

Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to describe the feasibility of

organic stain removers and to examine the capacity of the stain removers on the

clothes. Furthermore, the researchers will state the advantages of organic stain and its

benefits among people. The researchers will analyze the findings by considering the

effect of organic stain removers in reducing stains on clothes.

Hypothesis (Expected Results)

It is expected that organic stain removers have a significant effect on reducing

stains on clothes It is also expected that the public consumers can save money because

organic stain removers are available and convenient because they came from backyard

fruits, free from harmful chemical ingredients that may cause skin irritation and

allergies.
Implications and contribution to knowledge

The verdicts concerning this study will enhance our understanding of the

effect of natural stain removers and might be a potential source to substitute

commercially prepared stain removers that have chemical elements that are hazardous

to human beings and different living things. This study can further benefit customers,

especially the people who do laundry. It can save their money because it is natural it

can surely be visualized in your garden, and the consumers will not spend money to

buy commercially prepared stain removers. This study also can help the public to know

what natural fruits possibly be a potential substitute for commercially prepared stain

removers.
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