KONSENTRASI NaCl DAN LAMA PERENDAMAN TERHADAP KUALITAS TOMAT CHERRY (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme)

Abstract

Tomatoes are horticultural plants that are susceptible to damage, both due to mechanical damage, advanced physiology, and damage caused by microorganisms. Typically, the shelf life of cherry tomatoes only ranges from 5 to 7 days at room temperature. The aim of this research is to determine the best concentration of NaCl and immersion duration, as well as the interaction between the two on the quality of cherry tomatoes. This study utilized a 3x3 factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The research results demonstrate that the concentration of NaCl has a highly significant effect on the organoleptic attributes of texture and aroma of cherry tomatoes and also significantly affects the color parameter b (yellow) and overall organoleptic acceptance. The optimal concentration was obtained at 9% NaCl. The duration of immersion did not significantly affect all observation parameters; a longer immersion time was generally observed at 25 minutes. There is a highly significant interaction between the concentration of NaCl and immersion duration on the organoleptic texture and a significant interaction between the concentration of NaCl and immersion duration on the organoleptic aroma. Good quality cherry tomatoes are found in the combination of the treatment with 9% NaCl concentration and 25 minutes of immersion duration.