Kajian Proses Pengeringan Beku untuk Mempertahankan Mutu Buah Naga (Hylocereus polyrhizus)

Abstract

Buah naga merupakan komoditas yang bersifat rentan terhadap kerusakan (perishable). Salah satu teknologi penanganan pascapanen yang tepat untuk mempertahankan mutu buah naga adalah freeze drying. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji pengaruh ketebalan buah naga varietas Red Taiwan grade A (1 cm dan 1,5 cm) dan durasi pengeringan (48 jam, 72 jam, 96 jam) terhadap perubahan mutu internal buah naga kering beku. Tahapan penelitian terdiri dari persiapan sampel, pembekuan awal pada suhu - 50 ? selama 3 jam, pengeringan beku menggunakan Lyovapor L-200 bertekanan 0,1 mbar, pengamatan mutu, dan pengujian organoleptik terhadap 30 panelis tidak terlatih. Rancangan percobaan adalah Faktorial Acak Lengkap dengan 2 kali ulangan. Data diolah menggunakan analisis sidik ragam (Anova) dan uji lanjut Duncan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan ketebalan buah dan durasi pengeringan masing-masing berpengaruh terhadap rendemen, kadar air, TPT, rasio rehidrasi, dan uji organoleptik (warna, aroma, tekstur, rasa, dan penerimaan keseluruhan). Terdapat interaksi yang berpengaruh nyata antara ketebalan buah dan durasi pengeringan terhadap rendemen, kadar air, TPT, rasio rehidrasi, dan seluruh parameter uji organoleptik, kecuali atribut rasa. Pengeringan beku pada ketebalan 1 cm dan durasi pengeringan 96 jam menghasilkan buah naga kering beku terbaik dengan laju pengeringan 0,90 %bk/jam, rendemen 18,40%, kadar air 2,97%, TPT 80,40 °Brix, rasio rehidrasi sebesar 2,41, dan nilai efektivitas De Garmo 1,00 dengan rata-rata skor organoleptik pada seluruh atribut penilaian sebesar 5,55 (dari skala 1-7).

Dragon fruit is a commodity that is vulnerable to damage (perishable). One of the appropriate post-harvest handling technologies to maintain the quality of dragon fruit is freeze drying. This study aims to investigate the effect of dragon fruit thickness (1 cm and 1,5 cm) of the Red Taiwan variety grade A and drying duration (48 hours, 72 hours, 96 hours) on changes in the internal quality of freeze-dried dragon fruit. The research stages included sample preparation, initial freezing at 50°C for 3 hours, freeze drying using a Lyovapor L-200 at 0,1 mbar pressure, quality observation, and organoleptic testing by 30 untrained panelists. The experimental design was a Complete Randomized Factorial Design with 2 replications. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (Anova) and Duncan's multiple range test. The results showed that fruit thickness and drying duration each significantly affected yield, moisture content, TPT, rehydration ratio, and organoleptic testing (color, aroma, texture, taste, and overall acceptance). There was a significant interaction between fruit thickness and drying duration on yield, moisture content, TPT, rehydration ratio, and all organoleptic test parameters, except for the taste attribute. Freeze-drying at a thickness of 1 cm and a drying duration of 96 hours produces the best freeze-dried dragon fruit with a drying rate of 0,90% bk/hour, a yield of 18,40%, a moisture content of 2,97%, TPT 80.40 °Brix, rehydration ratio of 2,41, and De Garmo effectiveness value of 1,00, with an average organoleptic score of 5,55 (on a scale of 1–7) across all evaluation attributes.