UJI PELAPISAN CHITOSAN PADA BUAH NAGA ‘SUPER RED’ (Hylocereus costaricensis) UPAYAMEMPERTAHANKAN KESEGARAN BUAH DAN MEMPERPANJANG MASA SIMPAN

Abstract

Chitosan coating on dragon fruit, until now has not been widely carried out, so research is needed using various concentrations of chitosan solution, in order to obtain optimal results. The aims of this research are to: 1). get the optimal concentration of Chitosan coating solution to maintain fruit freshness and extend shelf life, 2). Knowing the changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of super red dragon fruit with chitosan coating at room temperature storage. The experimental design used one factor RAK, namely the chitosan coating factor. Chitosan coating treatment consisted of 5 levels, namely without Chitosan coating (P0), Chitosan coating 1.0% (P1), Chitosan coating 2.0% (P2), Chitosan coating 3.0% (P3) and Chitosan coating 4.0% (P4). Each treatment was repeated 3 times and obtained 15 experimental units, each experimental unit consisted of 5 pieces (2 pieces were used for non-destructive observations, 3 pieces were used for destructive observations). The results of this study are 1). The chitosan coating treatment was effective in delaying the ripening phase of the fruit at room temperature so that the physical and chemical quality of the fruit was much better until storage of 10 HSP compared to the control, 2) The 2% chitosan coating treatment (P2) was an effective treatment that could maintain the quality of super red dragon fruit up to 10 HSP seen from the visual quality, namely a) changes in skin color dark red and slightly shiny, b) skin texture slightly wrinkled, c) has a fairly fresh condition, d) lowest weight loss (22.34 g), e) smallest decrease in skin hardness (1.09 kgf), f) has better chemical quality such as TPT content 12.73oBrix, TAT 0.64% and vitamin C content 10.27%, 3) Treatment without chitosan (P0) and too high concentrations (3.0% and 4.0% ) is not effective on dragon fruit because it produces poor physical and chemical qualities.