UTILIZATION OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAVES FOR MAKING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY HAND-WASHING SOAP THROUGH STEM-BASED LEARNING

• Main Author: Yulvianah
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/62820
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Health is an important thing that must be considered, especially hand hygiene before and after doing activities. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive micrococcal bacterium that is often considered the main pathogen for humans, while Escherichia coli is a gram-negative bacterium that has less peptidoglycan content and more lipid content. The spread of S. aureus and E. coli bacteria is most often transmitted from hand to hand. Soap and hand sanitizer are vital items that are very familiar to us today, are available in every corner of the place, and are a necessity at all times. However, the use of the wrong type of soap often causes other unexpected effects on the skin. Moringa leaves (Moringa oleifera) have active compounds that can act as antibacterial substances. Moringa trees are planted by many community members around the school, but their utilization is still very lacking. The use of liquid hand soap made from Moringa leaves which has natural antibacterial content as a substitute for synthetic materials is one solution to protect the skin from bacterial infections.This study aims to examine students' critical thinking skills in studying the antibacterial activity of Moringa hand soap through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) based learning. STEM has an Engineering Design Process (EDP) which is expected to stimulate problem-solving skills in learning at school. STEM education is an approach in education where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are integrated with the educational process that focuses on solving problems in real everyday life as well as in national life. Laboratory action research was conducted at SMKN 13 Chemical Analyst Bandung. Moringa leaf extraction was carried out using the soxhletation method using 96% ethanol as a solvent, followed by qualitative tests for the content of secondary metabolites of tannins, flavonoids, saponins, and polyphenols. Antibacterial activity was tested using the disc diffusion method on hand soap without Moringa as a negative control, while 500 mkg ciprofloxacin tablets, 70% ethanol, and 20% CuSO4 were used as positive controls. The inhibitory power of Moringa hand soap against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was compared with liquid hand soap without Moringa using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) through six repetitions. The diameter of the bacterial inhibition zone was categorized by strength based on the classification of David and Stout. The average inhibition zone of Moringa leaf extract against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria was 17.28 mm and 12.60 mm, respectively. The average inhibition zone of Moringa soap with various concentrations of: 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 80% (w/v) against S. aureus bacteria, the results were 24,25; 24,88; 25,42; 25,55; and 28,23 mm, while the mean zone of inhibition against E. coli bacteria obtained smaller results, namely: 22,20 each ; 23,02; 23,96; 24,96; dan 26,43 mm. Tannin levels in soap containing Moringa leaf extract and soap containing Moringa leaf powder were analyzed using the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method using the stationary phase column C18 Luna 150 x 460 mm, 5µm, mobile phase methanol: aquabidest (1:3) , 1.5 mL/minute flow rate, UV detector 254 nm, retention time 1.7 minutes, obtained results of 28.26 ppm and 46.49 ppm. Classroom action research was conducted at SMA Negeri 2 Padalarang with a descriptive method. The research sample was SMA Negeri 2 Padalarang students, totaling 36 students of class XI MIPA who were selected by convenience sampling to describe student profiles when designing a handwashing soap formula made from Moringa and studying the antibacterial activity of Moringa leaf extract soap and Moringa leaf powder soap against E bacteria. coli and S. aureus, through EDP in STEM- based learning. The analysis of the results of classroom action research obtained by the STEM class was carried out by comparing the achievement of the results based on observations of student learning activities in class and indicators of competence assessed both individually and in groups. Critical thinking skills for almost all STEM class students can be improved through learning using the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) approach on the topic of using Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaves for the manufacture of environmentally friendly hand soap.