Abstract:
Hand sanitizer usage has proven to be a common and practical method for reducing the spread of infectious diseases which can be
caused by many harmful pathogens. Tere is a need for alcohol-free hand sanitizers because most hand sanitizers on the market
are alcohol-based, and regular use of them can damage the skin and can be hazardous. India is the world’s largest producer of fruits
and one of the major problems after fruit consumption is their peels, causing waste management problems and contributing to the
formation of greenhouse gases leading to air pollution and adding to the problem of climate change. Valorization of such wastes
into other value-added products and their incorporation into formulations of eco-friendly alcohol-free hand sanitizers would
solve these issues, save the environment, beneft the society, and help in achieving the sustainable development goals. Tus, this
research focuses on formulating an efective natural alcohol-free hand sanitizer that harnesses the antimicrobial properties of the
various types of bioactive components found in fruit peels of pomegranate, sweet lime, and lemon. Te peel extracts and the
formulated sanitizer proved considerable antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic Escherichia coli and hand microfora.
Molecular docking was also applied to examine ligand-protein interaction patterns and predict binding conformers and afnity of
the sanitizer phytocompounds towards target proteins in COVID-19, infuenza, and pneumonia viruses. Te binding afnities and
the protein-ligand interactions virtual studies revealed that the sanitizer phytocompounds bind with the amino acids in the target
proteins’ active sites via hydrogen bonding interactions. As a result, it is possible to formulate a natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizer
from fruit peels that is efective against pathogenic germs and viruses using the basic structure of these potential fndings.
