The Sinergy Effect of Essential Oils from Traditional Herbs and Medicines as Antibacterial Materials of Edible Coating on Fresh Fruit
Abstract
The selling strategy of peeled honey pineapple is carried out to attract consumers who want fresh, uniform, and ready-to-eat fruit. However, honey pineapple has a short shelf life, primarily when sold as a peel. Hence, additional treatment to prevent damage and maintain the quality of peeled honey pineapple can be done by applying an edible coating. The materials used in this research were jackfruit seed starch, essential oils (ginger, lemongrass, lemon eucalyptus), and citric acid. This research aimed to determine the effect of the edible coating application with the addition of essential oils of ginger, lemongrass, lemon eucalyptus, and citric acid as an antibacterial material on the shelf life of honey pineapple. The treatment variations in this research were the concentration of essential oils (0%; 10%; 30%; 40%), and citric acid added to the edible coating, with pineapple honey storage at room and cold temperature. Antibacterial activity was then analyzed for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that the edible coating with 10%, 30%, and 40% ginger essential oils could form an inhibition zone in S. aureus bacteria, while the addition of all variations in the concentration of lemongrass essential oil could inhibit the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. The addition of lemon eucalyptus essential oil revealed an inhibition zone of E. coli at a concentration of 40% and S. aureus at a concentration of 30% and 40%. It was proven that the addition of citric acid to the edible coating indicated the formation of a greater bacterial inhibition zone than the edible coating without citric acid. The organoleptic test results also uncovered that honey pineapple stored at cold temperatures had the preferred color, texture, aroma for panelists, and longer shelf life than honey pineapple at room temperature storage.