OPTIMISING A PROCESSING PROTOCOL FOR A SAFE AND VITAMIN C RICH CONCOCTION USED BY UGANDANS TO ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19.

Abstract

Background:

When the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic on 12 March 2020, desperate Ugandans who could not afford exorbitant fees for treatment of COVID-19 resorted to using cannabis and other local herbs to treat the deadly disease. One of the popular concoctions used was a mixture of garlic, lemons, ginger, onion, and red pepper. The main objective was to optimize the processing protocol for a safe and vitamin C-rich concoction.

Methodology:

A centralized statistical screening design was applied to optimize the processing conditions. The processing conditions, including temperature and time, were optimized to maximize vitamin C retention while ensuring microbial safety.

Results:

The concoction that was prepared at the optimized conditions, 83 °C for 5 minutes, had a vitamin C retention of 69.51% and a microbial load of 0 CFU/ml. Confirmation runs were performed at 83 °C for 5 minutes and the observed responses coincided well with the predicted values given by the optimization technique.

Conclusion:

To best preserve the concoction’s vitamin C content and, at the same time ensure a safe microbial load, it should be prepared at 83 °C for 5 minutes.  

Recommendation:

Further analysis is to be conducted on the optimization protocol for toxicity and effectiveness of the concoctions.