Judul: Application of Carrageenan and Antimicrobial Edible Coating to Extend the Self Life of Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum)
Abstrak: Buah tomat (Lycopersicum esculentum) merupakan produk hortikultura yang memiliki banyak manfaat serta kaya akan vitamin, mineral, dan serat gizi. Tomat tergolong buah yang memiliki kadar air yang tinggi dan juga mudah terserang mikroorganisme perusak. Mikroorganisme perusak berupa kapang Alternaria penyebab penyakit bercak-bercak cokelat atau menghitam pada permukaan kulit tomat. Pemanfaatan edible coating karagenan dengan penambahan senyawa antimikroba diharapkan mampu menghambat perkembangan mikroorganisme dan memperpanjang umur simpan tomat. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji dan menentukan efektifitas pengaruh aplikasi edible coating berbahan dasar karagenan dengan penambahan senyawa antimikroba terhadap mutu buah tomat selama penyimpanan. Tahap penelitian terdiri dari persiapan sampel, pembuatan larutan coating, pengaplikasian coating, dan pengamatan selama 28 hari. Jenis karagenan yang digunakan ialah Kappa-karagenan dengan penambahan antimikroba berupa asam askorbat (C6H8O6) dan zink oksida (ZnO). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan perlakuan coating dengan penambahan senyawa antimikroba berupa asam askorbat (KGA) dan zink oksida (KGZ) merupakan perlakuan terbaik yang mampu mempertahankan parameter respirasi, pH, aktivitas air (aw), susut bobot, kadar air, vitamin C, total padatan terlarut, total asam, kekerasan, dan intensitas warna pada hari ke-28. Hasil analisa total plate count (TPC) memiliki nilai yang sama pada hari ke-20 untuk perlakuan dengan penambahan antimikroba sebesar 3,4x105 koloni/g dengan ambang batas SNI sebesar 105 koloni/g dibandingkan dengan perlakuan tanpa coating yang bertahan selama 12 hari., Tomato fruit (Lycopersicum esculentum) is a horticultural product that has many benefits and rich vitamins, minerals, and nutritional fiber. Tomatoes are classified as fruits that have high water content and are also susceptible to damaging microorganisms. Damaging microorganisms in the form of mold Alternaria cause disease, brown or blackened spots on the surface of tomato skin. The use of edible carrageenan coating with the addition of antimicrobial compounds is expected to inhibit the development of microorganisms and extend the shelf life of tomatoes. This study aims to examine and determine the effectiveness of the effect of edible coating application made from carrageenan with the addition of antimicrobial compounds on the quality of tomatoes during storage. The research phase consists of sample preparation, making coating solutions, applying coatings, and observing for 28 days. The type of carrageenan used is kappa-carrageenan with the addition of antimicrobials in the form of ascorbic acid (C6H8O6) and zinc oxide (ZnO). The results showed that coating treatment with the addition of antimicrobial compounds in the form of ascorbic acid (KGA) and zinc oxide (KGZ) is the best treatment that can maintain parameters of respiration, pH, water activity (aw), weight loss, water content, vitamin C, total dissolved solids, total acid, hardness, and color intensity on day 28. The results of total plate count (TPC) analysis had the same value on day 20 for treatment with the addition of antimicrobials of 3,4x105 colonies/g with an SNI threshold of 105 colonies/g compared to uncoated treatment that lasted for 12 days.
Keyword: asam askorbat, buah tomat, mikroorganisme, coating, zink oksida