Dried Corn Husk and Banana Stalk Usage Test Analysis as A Secondary Packaging Material for Solid Soap BeeKella

Abstract

BeeKella soap is a natural solid soap made from propolis and trigona bee honey, produced by a group of bee livestock as part of an MSME business scheme. This soap is made without heating using a soft soap that is slightly soft/oily. The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of some secondary packaging materials with a natural impression, such as dry corn husks, dried banana fronds, and paper boxes. The organoleptic test was conducted for three months on the packaging materials and soap conditions, as well as the packaging cost calculation. After one month of storage in a small portion of sample with the packaging material of corn husks and banana stalks. The result showed signs of organoleptic changes, whereas soap products did not show any changes until three months of testing. The average packaging time for dry corn husk material was 88 seconds per soap in the packaging cost test, and the average packaging time for banana stalks was 72 seconds. The use of dried banana stalks caused physical damage to the material during packaging due to its more flexible nature. less than using dry corn husks. A change in the color of the packaging materials is the most prevalent form of alteration that happens in the second month. In conclusion, corn husks and banana stalks are only appropriate for a one-month storage when used as packaging materials for BeeKella soap products. The test also demonstrates that utilizing these two packaging materials increases packaging time significantly.