Authors Refilda ,N Oktafia,P R Winardi ,E Salim
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a productive and profitable crop grown commercially in sub-tropical and tropical areas. Guava is a perishable fruit known for its good taste, nutritional status, and moderate price in the market. Guava fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C (228.3 mg/100 g), contains about 17% dry matter and 80% moisture along with sizable amounts of minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, iron as well as vitamins such as niacin, acid pantothenic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin A. The quality of guava fruit is strongly influenced by the level of fruit ripeness and storage methods which will affect the taste, appearance, aroma, and nutrition of the fruit. Guava with good quality will be obtained if the fruit is picked at a sufficient level of maturity. Guava fruit that is picked when it is not ripe will have an astringent taste, with firm flesh and low juice content. During ripening, the fruit undergoes significant changes in color and texture, indicating that physiological changes occur in it, including changes in carbohydrates, organic acids, proteins, amino acids, and other components that can affect the taste of the fruit. Furthermore, the storage period of fruit can be a problem in post-harvest activities because fruit is a perishable commodity. Guava fruit has a shelf life of 2-7 days. Therefore, good postharvest handling is needed to have a longer shelf-life Coatings with synthetic chemicals have been used to control pathogens and extend fruit shelf life, but at the same time gave unfriendly effects on the environment and consumers. Prolonged use of the technology that is commonly used to control postharvest pathogen attacks is coating with synthetic chemicals, but this has an unfriendly impact on the environment and consumers. Coating with A. vera L gel and plant extracts is a natural way to extend shelf life and maintain postharvest quality. The research was focused on finding the composition of guava fruit coating with A. vera. L gel and A. indica. L leaf extract that provided physicochemical properties with optimal quality during storage. Parameters tested were weight loss, percent decay, moisture content, total dissolved solids, and total titrated acid from guava fruit. The coating composition that gives the best guava fruit quality with a storage time of 15 days were 85% A. vera gel, 10% A. indica. L leaf extract, 0.025% Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC) and 0.5% glycerol. The guava fruit coated with this composition had a weight loss of 11.19%, moisture content of 57.15%, a spoilage of 3.33%, a total dissolved solids of 7.67″Brix and a total titrated acid of 1.90%. This value was better than uncoated fruit with weight loss of 30.48%, moisture content 28.42%, spoilage 14.44%, total dissolved solids 12.33″Brix and total titrated acid 0.40%. chemical fungicides on fresh produce have been the main reason for the development of resistant pathogenic strains and the increase in toxic residues on fruit surfaces. It is known that fungicides can negatively affect the nutritional properties of fresh produce. Indiscriminate use of chemical fungicides has been banned due to their high toxicological effect on human health and long degradation time. Edible coating technology is a thin coating made of food (food grade) which aims to coat food and functions as a bacterial inhibitor so that the shelf life of food can be increased. Aloe vera gel has been used as an edible coating. This gel is tasteless, colorless, and odorless. This natural product is a safe and environmentally friendly alternative. According to the researchers, this gel works through a combination of mechanics, forming a protective layer against oxygen and air humidity and inhibiting the action of micro-organisms. Generally, coatings can be divided into proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides, alone or in combination. They act as moisture and oxygen barrier during processing, handling, and storage. Coatings are not only slow down the spoilage of food but also increase its safety due to natural biocidal activity or incorporation of antimicrobial compounds. Aloe vera gel as an edible coating can play a good role in restraining the respiration rate and some physiological changes due to the ripening process of fruits and vegetables during storage. Previous research was also reported that edible coating technique can extend the shelf life of strawberries. A. indica is a wild growing plant that is often found on roadsides and is also known as a weed plant. Anting-anting plant (Acalypha indica. L) is one type of plant that is commonly used as medicine. Roots, stems and leaves contain saponins and tannins, stems also contain flavonoids and leaves contain essential oils. Phytochemical screening of Acalypha indica L. in methanol and ethanol extracts showed that the extracts contained phenolic, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and alkaloids compounds. Several chemical compounds have been isolated from A. indica, including kaempferol glycosides, mauritianin, clitorin, nicotiflori, biorobin, tannins, pyranoquinolinone alkaloids flindersin. A. indica methanol extract can inhibit effective antimicrobial principles due to the presence of phytochemical compounds such as alkaloids and tannins. This study examined the effect of adding A. indica leaf extract to aloe vera gel as a coating material for guava fruit on the physical and chemical properties of the fruit during storage.
