Brazilian researchers at UFT develop noni fruit oil that can be used as insecticide

 

Researchers at the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT) are developing an insecticide based on noni fruit oil (Morinda citrifolia). 

 

The discovery, developed at the Gurupi campus, was presented during I Unitec, the Technological University Company Fair, held between November 21 and 22, in the city of Palmas.

 

The oil is developed from the noni fruit pulp. According to project coordinator, Talita Ferreira, mosquito larvae die within minutes of coming in contact with the compound, which is extracted by a method called hydrodistillation.

 

“A Clevenger is used to mix the fruits with the water. This water boils, and in the meantime, the oil evaporates and passes through a condenser making it liquid again. To put this substance on the market we are working on a project to develop a business plan to produce on a large scale,” the researcher says.

 

Last year, other researchers from the Federal University of Tocantins had already discovered that noni essential oil can be used to control Exserohilum turcicum, the agent that causes leaf spot in corn. 

 

“The inhibition of conidia germination was proportional to the concentration increase. The preventive application of noni essential oil was the most effective in the control of Exserohilum spot,” concluded the UFT in the study.