Judul: Coating Application of Tapioca and Sago Starch to Extend Shelf Life of Edible Flower  Nasturtium (Tropaelom majus L.)
Abstrak: Bunga nasturtium termasuk edible flower dengan nilai komersil tinggi. Seluruh bagian dari nasturtium aman dikonsumsi dan banyak digunakan sebagai garnish dan bidang farmakologi. Namun, nasturtium memiliki umur simpan yang pendek karena mudah mengalami rusak fisioligis yang disebabkan respirasi dan transpirasi yang tinggi. Pengaplikasian edible coating dapat memperlambat respirasi dan transpirasi yang memperpanjang umur simpan bunga nasturtium. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji pengaruh penggunaan edible coating berbahan tapioka dan pati sagu dengan gliserol terhadap perubahan mutu bunga nasturtium selama masa simpan. Tahapan penelitian terdiri dari persiapan sampel, pembuatan larutan coating, pengujian viskositas, pengaplikasian coating, dan pengamatan selama 7 hari masa simpan. Jenis pati yang digunakan terdiri tapioka dan pati sagu dengan konsentrasi 0,5% dan 1% lalu diberi penambahan gliserol konsentrasi 1% untuk larutan tapioka dan 0,1% untuk larutan pati sagu. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan perlakuan terbaik adalah coating S2G2 (Pati sagu 1% dengan gliserol 0,1%) yang mampu menghambat respirasi, mempertahankan kadar air 92,02%, susut bobot 8,66%, dan nilai ohue 40,47o pada hari ke-7 penyimpanan dengan penerimaan panelis pada skor 3 (dari 0-5) berdasarkan kesegaran, warna, dan aroma hingga hari ke-5. Sementara pada akhir penyimpanan bunga tanpa perlakuan coating (kontrol), susut bobot mencapai 21,16% dengan kadar air 90,90%, nilai ohue 34,70o, dan memiliki skor dibawah penerimaan panelis sejak hari ke-3., Nasturtium flowers are an edible flower with high commercial value. All parts of nasturtium are safe for consumption and used as garnish and pharmacology. However, nasturtium has a short shelf life because it is prone to physiological damage that caused by high respiration and transpiration. The application of edible coating can slow down respiration and transpiration which extends the shelf life of nasturtium flowers. This study aim to examine the effect of using edible coating made from tapioca and sago starch with glycerol on changes in the quality of nasturtium flowers during shelf life. The research stage consists of sample preparation, coating solutions preparation, viscosity test, coating application, and observation for 7 days of shelf life. The type of starch used in coating solution were tapioca and sago starch with a concentration of 0.5% and 1% then adding 1% glycerol for tapioca solution and 0.1% glycerol for sago starch solution. The results showed that the best treatment was S2G2 coating (1% sago starch with 0.1% glycerol) which able to inhibit respiration, maintain 92.02% moisture content, 8.66% weight loss, and 40.47o ohue value on the 7th day of storage with panelists acceptance at a score of 3 (from 0-5) based on freshness, color, and aroma until 5th day. While at the end of storage, flower without coating treatment (control), the weight loss reached 21.16% with a moisture content of 90.90%, 34.70o o hue, and panelist acceptance only 3 days of shelf life.
Keyword: Edible flower, Edible coating, Nasturtium flower, sago starch, Tapioca