Judul: Analysis of the Use of Packaging Fillers in Transportation to Reduce Mechanical and Preserve the Quality of Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.)
Abstrak: Selama kegiatan transportasi, tomat cenderung mengalami kerusakan mekanis akibat adanya ruang kosong dalam kemasan. Ruang kosong menyebabkan gesekan dan tumbukan antara sesama tomat dan dengan dinding kemasan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh penggunaan bahan pengisi kemasan transportasi terhadap kerusakan mekanis dan mutu tomat melalui uji simulasi transportasi, serta menentukan dan menyusun saran bahan pengisi kemasan transportasi terbaik untuk tomat. Penelitian menggunakan kemasan peti plastik buah tipe persegi panjang berdimensi 46 cm x 36,5 cm x 14,5 cm. Terdapat empat perlakuan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yang terdiri dari tiga perlakuan dengan bahan pengisi dan satu perlakuan untuk tanpa bahan pengisi atau kontrol. Ketiga perlakuan adalah: bahan pengisi kertas koran, daun pisang kering, dan jerami padi kering dimana ketiga bahan tersebut dibentuk cacahan panjang. Semua perlakuan dilakukan simulasi transportasi dengan frekuensi 3,8 Hz, amplitudo 4 cm selama 90 menit, dimana simulasi setara dengan perjalanan transportasi sejauh 106,91 km. Hasil penelitian didapatkan bahwa diantara ketiga bahan pengisi kemasan yang digunakan, kertas koran memiliki nilai kerusakan mekanis terkecil sebesar 29,47% dilanjutkan dengan daun pisang sebesar 34,73% dan terbesar oleh jerami padi sebesar 40%. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa bahan pengisi kertas koran merupakan bahan pengisi terbaik untuk digunakan pada transportasi tomat dalam kemasan peti plastik., During transportation activities, tomatoes were prone to mechanical damage due to empty spaces within the packaging. The empty spaces caused friction and collisions between tomatoes themselves and with the walls of the packaging. This study aimed to analyze the influence of using transportation packaging fillers on mechanical damage and quality of tomatoes through transportation simulation tests. It also aimed to determine and recommend the best transportation packaging filler material for tomatoes. The study utilized rectangular plastic fruit crates with dimensions of 46 cm x 36,5 cm x 14,5 cm. There were four treatments used in this study, consisting of three treatments with fillers and one treatment without fillers or control. The three treatments were: newspaper fillers, dried banana leaves, and dried rice straw, all of which were formed into long shreds. All treatments underwent transportation simulation at a frequency of 3,8 Hz, with an amplitude of 4 cm for 90 minutes, equivalent to a transportation distance of 106,91 km. The results of the study showed that among the three packaging filler materials used, newspaper fillers had the lowest mechanical damage value at 29,47%, followed by banana leaves at 34,73%, and the highest by rice straw at 40%. It could be concluded that newspaper fillers were the best filler material to be used in transporting tomatoes in plastic crates.
Keyword: amplitudo, bahan pengisi kemasan, frekuensi, kerusakan mekanis, pengemasan, amplitude, frequency, mechanical damage, packaging fillers