ABSTRACT

 The focus of this research was the production of hand sanitizer using local raw materials garlic, (A ilium Sativum), aloe — vera (Aloe Barbadensis Miller) and ethyl alcohol. The study formulated a recipe for hand sanitizer from local raw materials based majorly on extracted garlic juice and aloe average. The hand sanitizer produced from the recipe was subjected to acceptability test in terms of texture, colour, odour and general acceptability. The study determined the level of awareness of the importance of hand sanitizer, determined extent of usage of hand sanitizer by the respondents (male and female students). The study also determined the efficacy of the hand sanitizer produced from local raw materials on organisms and this was compared with two alcohol based hand sanitizers. Twelve research questions and six null hypotheses guided the study. The study is Research and Development (R&D) with the adopted of experimental and descriptive survey research design. The population for the study comprised all the one thousand, one hundred and thirty (1130) students in the College of Applied Food Science and Tourism, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia State. Sample size determination formular was used in selecting a sample size of 119 respondents randomly selected from College of Applied Food Science and Tourism, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Allium Sativum and Aloe Barbadensis miller extracts were used to produce Verabeny hand sanitizer. The sample of Verabeny product and two samples of alcohol based hand sanitizers labelled A, B and C based on a five point Likert scale were subjected to sensory perception on colour, texture, odour and general acceptability. One hundred and thirteen students were subjected to the sensory perception. A structured questionnaire titled "Assessment of the acceptability level of Hand Sanitizer Produced from Local Raw Material" (AEHSPLRM) was the major instrument used for the study. The statistical tools used for data analysis were frequency, means, percentage count and standard deviation. t — test was used to test hypotheses 1-2 and Anova was used to test hypotheses 3-6 at 0.05 level of significant. The major findings of the study among others include identification of recipe for producing local hand sanitizer. Verabeny hand sanitizer has high efficacy in denaturing five out of the six tested organisms. The result of five hypotheses tested revealed no significant differences from the alcohol based hand sanitizer while hypothesis Ho3 revealed a significant difference. In conclusion, the findings of the study showed that the production of hand sanitizer using local materials was achieved; the locally made hand sanitizer inhibited five organisms out of the six tested. The following recommendations among others were made; the producers of hand sanitizers should evaluate their products to know the actual percentage reduction of viable bacteria count before labeling their products for sale; the findings of the study should be made available to individuals and families through organizing seminars and workshops at the local and state government levels to educate the public on the importance of producing and using hand sanitizer.