The Analysis of the General Attributes of Mangifera indica Leaves Extract as an Additive to Common Vanilla Ice Cream

Researchers:

Raemel Niklaus P. Leyretana
Sherwin O. Abril
Sharmaine C. Enaje
April Joy A. Vizcarra

Research Adviser:  Mrs. Ma. Regaele A. Olarte

Background of the Study

              With regards to the world of herbal medicine, boiling and extracting of juices from leaves of plants is common.  Evidently, here in the Philippines, treating minor and sometimes major diseases is commonly done by consuming juices of leaves. Science also has proven that some herbal methods done by humans are effective and are proven.  Moreover, scientific institutions has also claimed that there are numerous plants that are potential to do such herbal thing.  They are, as scientists call, “undiscovered treasures.”  According to the Philippine Pharmacists Association which supports the Philippine Health Department, aside from preparing herbal plants as a common tea and be consumed by drinking, it will also be effective for herbal plants to be ingested in food without neglecting proper managing of plants to prolong and preserve its nutrients.

            With these statements and tradition that is widely spreading in the country, it is very notable, that science and humans have agreed on both sides that utilization of plants to prolong life and to prevent its eradication is acceptable.  

            Being in a good and healthy condition nowadays is much difficult than the times before.  All that is seen in the market has preservatives, additives that have a negative feedback to our system.  It is such that these products being merchandised in the market are way too far from the times where products and goods are low-fat, cholesterol free, etc.

            Ice cream in the pre 21^st century times was prepared in home.  Ice cream makers make use of traditional, non-chemical way of producing ice cream.  Ice creams before were made using real fruit extract and not powders which are being used today.  They cool it manually using crushed ice and rock salt.

Ice cream, per se, is one of those products sold in the market and consumed, that is innovated along with time.  We can see the nutritional value of these goods which have high fat consistency and saturation that contribute much in cholesterol build up of the body. As time passes by, ice cream manufacturers made the production faster and easier by neglecting traditional ways and changing it to prepared solutions by machines. One major cause of the negative effects of ice cream is its high sugar/glucose level.

           

            Rhetorically, sugar makes up the whole ice cream.  Sugar sums all for the ice cream to have its unusual taste and appeal to consumers.  Whereas, if the glucose rate will be lessened and a different component be added into natural ice cream, diseases caused by sugar can somehow be alleviated.    

            Sugar, as science has proved, has many bad effects.  Mainly, it can cause diabetes, and disorientation of system organs.  Too much intake and wrong intake of glucose can contribute to early mortality.

            Resolved that, this study tries to investigate the possibility of inserting infused Mangifera indica (tropical mango) leaves into traditionally made ice cream and determine its general acceptability, and that of mango leaves was proven to decrease blood glucose level in diabetics and potentials.