A group of researchers from the Federal University of Grande Dourados, coordinated by Professor Dr. Alexeia Barufatti, are developing a detergent made from the liquid of the cashew nutshell, which in contact with water, eliminates the dengue mosquito larvae. This research is funded by PPSUS through Fundect.
According to Alexeia, the group’s work began in 2015 when the first experiments were carried out with the liquid extracted during the roasting of the cashew nut. The research group is formed by students of scientific initiation, master’s, doctorate, post-doctoral students, in addition to professors from UFGD, UFMS, and UNIFESP.
According to the biologist and postdoctoral fellow at UFGD, Bruno Amaral Crispim, the idea is that the compound is used as a normal detergent in domestic activities and that it would indirectly fulfill the objective of eliminating the larvae of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
From the cashew nut oil, we made chemical changes that made this product a detergent, which after tests of the larvicidal effect, proved its effectiveness in combating mosquito larvae. We also carry out tests of environmental effect where we verify that this product when reaching rivers and streams presents little or no toxicity in non-target organisms such as algae, fish, and crustaceans.
According to Bruno, the next steps in the project are safety tests for human health and afterward, after the product’s total effectiveness has been proven, make the companies that produce detergents “buy the idea” and start using this compound in their products. products.