Performance Evaluation of Cassava Peels Starch-based Edible Coating Incorporated with Chitosan on the Shelf-life of Fresh-cut Pineapples (Ananas comosus) Inggit Kresna Maharsih*, Memik Dian Pusfitasari, Citra Ayu Saraswati Putri, Muhammad Taufiq Hidayat
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Kalimantan, Balikpapan, Indonesia
*e-mail: ikmaharsih[at]lecturer.itk.ac.id
Abstract
Postharvest treatment is one of important factors that affected shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapples (Ananas comosus). Pineapples have a short shelf life, that is 2-3 days after harvest without cold storage. Recently, the application of edible coatings is widely used to extend the shelf-life of pineapples. Edible coating can be produced from alginate, starch, chitosan, or aloe vera as the main composition. In this study, it is purposed to prolonged the storability of pineapples using starch-based edible coating combined with chitosan. Starch is obtained from cassava peels because it contains 44-59% of starch. On the other hand, chitosan acts as stabilizer and antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, glycerol is added as plasticizer in order to increase the elasticity of the edible film. The edible coating was prepared using various composition of starch and glycerol (in %w/v), then 1% (w/v) of chitosan dissolved in ascorbic acid was added in the solution. The fresh-cut pineapples were dip-coated into the mixture, subsequently they were stored in refrigerator. Chemical properties of cassava peels starch-based edible coating incorporated with chitosan were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, while its performance was tested in dissolution testing, pH measurement, and organoleptic testing. The result shown that 5 % (w/v) of starch-0.6 ml/gr of glycerol has the longest shelf-life among variables with 58.46% dissolution and pH 3.47 to 4.08 within 14 days.
