Pengaruh Aplikasi Plasma Ozon terhadap Mutu Cabai Merah Segar Selama Penyimpanan

Abstract

Chilli is an agricultural commodity with high potential. However, like other horticultural products, chilli has a short shelf life and fluctuating prices, resulting in low income for chilli farmers. Ozone plasma technology is a viable solution to enhance the shelf life of fresh red chilli. This study was conducted to determine the effect of ozone plasma application on the quality of fresh red chili peppers during storage. The research employed a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with two factors: the duration of ozone plasma immersion i.e. 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes, and storage period for 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 days. Testing parameters included moisture content, weight loss, texture, total dissolved solids, vitamin C content, total acidity, color index, total phenols, spiciness level, visual assessment, total sugar content, and total plate count. The results of the study showed that the duration of ozone plasma immersion had a highly significant effect on water content, weight loss, total dissolved solids, total acidity, total phenols, and total plate count. Meanwhile, the storage period had a significant effect on water content, weight loss, texture, total dissolved solids, total acidity, total phenols, color index, and total plate count, with a notable effect on total sugar. A 10-minute ozone plasma immersion resulted in the best quality of fresh red chili during storage.