Utilization of Pamelo Orange Peel in Making Aromatherapy Candles in Pitusunggu Village, District. Ma'rang, Pangkep Regency

Community Service is one part of the tridharma of higher education. The target partner for this activity is the PKK group in Pitusunggu Village, Kec. Ma'rang, Pangkep Regency. Pamelo oranges are one of the typical plants of the Pangkep area. Every part of the fruit has benefits, especially orange peel. However, until now people have not reprocessed pomelo orange peel into a useful product, especially in the health sector.

In order to increase the utilization of orange peel waste products, the service team from UMI Pharmacy conducted outreach and training regarding the use of pomelo orange peels to make aromatherapy candles that can repel mosquitoes.

Aromatherapy candles have been made  using a mixture of orange peel powder and lemongrass oil. Therefore, the team named this product the SeJuk (Lemongrass and Orange) Aromatherapy Candle. Based on research, anti-mosquito candles from grapefruit peel (citrusmaxima) with a concentration of 80% was declared capable of killing mosquitoes, because during 5 hours of observation the percentage of mosquito deaths was 50%. Meanwhile, citronella oil is used as an additional ingredient for candles. It contains essential oil compounds in the form of citronellol, citronellal and geraniol which have the ability to act as a repellent against mosquitoes, so it is hoped that the smoke coming out of the candle will repel mosquitoes.

The service team also provided brochures related to the PHBS (Clean and Healthy Living Behavior) movement. This movement is also one of the things that can be done to prevent the spread of mosquitoes. The PHBS movement is an effort to strengthen the culture of individuals, groups and communities so that they care about and prioritize health.