Mucus from Brown Garden Snail (Helix aspersa) as Desiccating Agent to Absorb Moisture

Researchers:

Ivy Lane Erguiza, Priscila Aguila, Janine Sabado, Honey Balbastro

Research Adviser:

MRS. MA. REGAELE A. OLARTE


3rd Place DepEd Regional Science Fair 2014
3rd Place National Science and Youth Congress 2014
4th Runner Up National Science Quest 2015

ABSTRACT
Among the reasons for food shortage in the country are pest infestation in crops and
damages in the shipping of goods. Upon seeking ways to exterminate these unwanted
factors, the researcher came up with the idea of targeting these two problems. The
researcher investigated the hygroscopic property of Brown Garden Snail (Helix aspersa)
slime and converted it into a very useful product.
The organic desiccant was derived from the extraction of slime obtained from the body
secretions of the snail. The following experimental set-ups had been made: 5.6 grams wet
slime and 1.6 grams wet filter paper; 5.6 grams dry slime and 1.6 grams wet filter paper.
For the control set-up, 5.6 grams commercial desiccant and 1.6 grams wet filter paper
were used as positive control; 1.6 grams wet filter paper without treatment was used as
the negative control.
One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for independent groups showed that there was an
overall significant difference among the group means, at P <.0001. The results of post-hoc
Tukey's HSD tests showed that all points of comparison were significant, P<.01. The study
proved that the organic desiccant obtained from Snail (Helix aspersa) slime could be
effective moisture absorbent, especially the wet mucus.

KEYWORDS

Snail; desiccant; Helix aspersa; hygroscopic property

Research Mentors: AMANDA PEREZ, JEATRICE LOPEZ, ROSELLE GALVEZ