THE EFFECT OF RED LED LIGHT IRRADIATION AND ETHEPHON IMMERSION DURATION ON THE LEMON (CITRUS LIMON L.) CALIFORNIA DEGREENING PROCESS

• Main Author: Rahman, Fahri
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/69143
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Lemon (Citrus limon L.) is a fruit of high economic value and rich in vitamin C which is beneficial for the human body. However, local lemons are often less attractive to consumers because lemons are green or yellow green, so to improve the color of lemons, degreening technology is needed using ethephon and red LED light. This study aims to determine the effect of variations in the treatment of red LED light and the best duration of ethephon immersion on changes in skin color, physicochemical and sensory properties of lemons during degreening. The research design used was a simple randomized block design, with treatment duration of ethephon immersion (1, 3, 5 minutes) and red LED light treatment (without red LED light and with red LED light). The test variables consisted of Citrus Color Index (CCI), oHue, total chlorophyll and carotenoids, weight loss, hardness, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), juice content, vitamin C, and hedonic to lemon peel color. The results showed that the duration of ethephon immersion and red LED light irradiation had a significant effect on Citrus Color Index (CCI), oHue, total chlorophyll and carotenoids, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Vitamin C, and the panelists preference for lemon color. While the variation of treatment duration of ethephon immersion and red LED light treatment did not have a significant effect on weight loss, hardness, and content of lemon juice. The best treatment is the duration of ethephon immersion for 5 minutes accompanied by exposure to red LED light.