Technology Development for Soap, Detergent and its Raw Material Testing (Part-I A: Portable Kit used for Quality Control of Soap & Detergent)

Abstract

In rural areas, Khadi and Village Industries (KVI) units and small-scale handmade soap manufacturers commonly utilize raw materials such as oils, fatty acid distillate, acid slurry, caustic lye, sodium silicate, and soda ash for the production of soaps and detergents. To uphold product standards and customer confidence, it is crucial to guarantee the quality and uniformity of both raw materials and completed goods. However, the lack of affordable, accessible, and user-friendly testing facilities often leads to quality control issues. In response to this need, a practical and cost-effective \"Testing Kit for Soap, Detergent and its Raw Materials\" was developed during the 2008–09 study. This kit was designed to support KVI units and grassroots producers by enabling in-house quality assessment of raw materials and finished goods. The kit includes simplified analytical methods suitable for field-level application without requiring sophisticated laboratory infrastructure. This paper presents the development of a low-cost, user-friendly testing kit for evaluating quality parameters of soap, detergent, and raw materials, intended for application in Khadi and Village Industries (KVI) sectors and small-scale manufacturers. The design of the kit is simplified for non-laboratory rural settings and is based on standardised test protocols described by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) [1]– [5].

Introduction

Soap and detergent manufacturing in rural India faces significant quality control challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and lack of access to sophisticated testing facilities. Indian Standards specify critical quality parameters such as total fatty matter (TFM), moisture content, free alkali, active detergent concentration, and surface tension, but most rural producers cannot afford or access certified labs.

To address this gap, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization (MGIRI) and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) developed a portable, low-cost testing kit. This kit enables small and cottage-scale manufacturers to test key quality parameters on-site, including active matter, surface tension, foam height, pH, moisture content, and others, thereby helping improve product quality, sustain village industries, and boost consumer confidence.

The kit's testing methods align with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms and include simplified procedures for determining active matter content, surface tension using a stalagnometer, foam generation, pH, and moisture content. These tests allow rural producers to classify product quality against established standards and improve their manufacturing processes without needing sophisticated laboratories.

Conclusion

The Soap and Detergent Testing Kit represents a critical step in democratizing quality control for rural KVI units. Its design aligns with Indian standards [1][5] but removes the complexity of traditional lab-based analysis. The tool empowers small manufacturers to validate their product quality and meet consumer expectations.

References

[1] Bureau of Indian Standards, IS 4955:1982 – Methods for Testing of Synthetic Detergents. New Delhi: BIS, 1982. [2] Bureau of Indian Standards, IS 4955:2001 – Methods for Testing of Synthetic Detergents (Revised). New Delhi: BIS, 2001. [3] Bureau of Indian Standards, IS 286:1978 – Specification for Toilet Soap (Second Revision). New Delhi: BIS, 1978. [4] Bureau of Indian Standards, IS 539:1960 – Specification for Laundry Soap. New Delhi: BIS, 1960. [5] Bureau of Indian Standards, IS 13498:2002 – Surface Tension Measurement Methods. New Delhi: BIS, 2002. [6] G. N. Tripathi, Soap and Detergent Testing Manual. New Delhi: Laxmi Publications, 2005. [7] T. S. Patel and S. A. Bhosale, \"Development of a low-cost detergent quality kit for cottage industries,\" Indian J. Chem. Technol., vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 234–239, May 2008. [8] LIT Nagpur, \"Empirical test data for soap and detergent standards – Internal report,\" Dept. of Oil and Fats Technology, 2007. [9] MGIRI, Wardha, \"Field dissemination report: Soap & detergent testing kit,\" MGIRI Technical Bulletin, 2009. [10] H. F. Launer, \"Determination of the pH value of papers,\" J. Res. Natl. Bur. Stand., vol. 22, no. RP1205, May 1939. [11] J. C. Harries, Detergency: Evolution and Testing. New York: Interscience Publishers, 1954. [12] E. G. Thomson and J. W. McCutcheon, Analytical Methods for Soap and Detergent Industries. New York: Macnair-Dorland Co., 1949. [13] A. Charanwar, Polymeric Surfactant Based on Carbohydrate Polymer (M.Tech. thesis), Dept. of Oil Technology, LIT, Nagpur, 2008.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Mr. Swanand Kalambe, Dr. R. B. Chavan, Dr. S. N. Naik, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Mr. Vikas Choudhary, Dr. Aprajita Vardhan. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.