Aplikasi Karbon Aktif sebagai Penyerap Etilen dan Teknik Pengemasan pada Salak Pondoh (Salacca edulis R.)

Abstract

Salak pondoh is a highly commercial fruit, but has a short self life, so it decays easily. To ercome this problem, inhibition of its respiration rate can be carried out, i.e. by the adjustment of and CO2 compositions through the packaging, and adsorption of ethylene by giving of ethylene sorbent, such as activated carbon. The objective of this research was to increase the self life of alak by using activated carbon as an ethylene absorbent. This study was carried out by packing salak to polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) plastic bags with the packaging techniques (holes, rmal, and vacuum), and the addition of activated carbon (3% and 6%), and then were stored it in a Dol chamber at temperature of 15-20 °C and RH of 90-99%. The parameters tested were weight sses, percentage of damage, total suspended solids, and vitamin C. The best treatment obtained Som this study was packaging using PP plastic with vacuum technique and activated carbon dosage 3%. That condition was able to maintain the self life of salak up to 24 days of storage, 14 days Onger. Application of 3% addition of activated carbon was able to maintain the self life for 7 days Tonger at the maturity level of 90% and 11 days longer at the maturity level of 80%, compared to no addition of activated carbon and packed with PP plastic in vacuum condition.