Coating Berbahan Gel Lidah Buaya dan Gliserol untuk Memperpanjang Umur Simpan Pepaya Calina

Abstract

Pepaya Calina (Carica papaya L.) memiliki nilai ekonomis yang tinggi. Namun, pepaya segar mudah rusak dan umur simpannya pendek. Respirasi yang tinggi dan mikroorganisme merupakan penyebab utama penurunan kualitas buah pepaya calina setelah panen. Gel lidah buaya sebagai bahan coating yang dikombinasikan dengan gliserol dan pektin diharapkan mampu menahan laju respirasi dan menghambat perkembangan mikroorganisme sehingga dapat mempertahankan mutu buah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh penggunaan coating berbahan gel lidah buaya dengan penambahan gliserol dan pektin terhadap kualitas buah pepaya calina selama umur simpan serta menentukan konsentrasi gliserol terbaik. Larutan coating dibuat dengan formulasi 30% gel lidah buaya, 100 g pektin, gliserol 2,5% dan 5%. Parameter yang diukur yaitu kadar air, susut bobot, total padatan terlarut (TPT), kekerasan, serta warna. Hasil penelitian menujukkan bahwa coating gel lidah buaya dengan penambahan gliserol dan pektin yang diaplikasikan pada buah pepaya memberikan pengaruh nyata terhadap kadar air 89,18%, susut bobot 15,7%, kekerasan 3,63 Kgf, total padatan terlarut 8,7 °brix dan warna kulit buah pepaya calina 48,02 dibandingkan dengan kontrol, sementara tidak berbeda nyata pada warna daging. Namun, tidak dapat disimpulkan perlakuan yang paling efektif dalam mempertahankan kualitas buah pepaya calina karena tidak ada perbedaan nyata antara formulasi gliserol 2,5% dan 5%.

Calina papaya (Carica papaya L.) has high economic value. However, fresh papaya is easily damaged and has a short shelf life. High respiration and microorganisms are the main causes of decreased quality of calina papaya fruit after harvest. Aloe vera gel as a coating material combined with glycerol and pectin is expected to be able to restrain the rate of respiration and inhibit the development of microorganisms so as to maintain fruit quality. This research aimed to analyze the effect of using a coating made from Aloe vera gel with the addition of glycerol and pectin on the quality of calina papaya fruit during shelf life and determine the best glycerol concentration. The coating solution was made with a formulation of 30% aloe vera gel, 100 g pectin, 2,5% and 5% glycerol. The parameters measured are water content, weight loss, total dissolved solids (TPT), hardness, and color. The research results showed that aloe vera gel coating with the addition of glycerol and pectin applied to papaya fruit had a significant effect on water content of 89,18%, weight loss of 15,7%, hardness of 3,63 kgf, total dissolved solids of 8,7 brix and the skin color of calina papaya fruit was 48,02 compared to the control, while there was no anificant difference in flesh color. However, it cannot be concluded that the most effective treatment to maintain the quality of calina papaya fruit because there is no real difference between the 2,5% and 5% glycerol formulations.