Cabai merah besar (Capsicum annum L.) merupakan komoditas sayuran
sangat mudah rusak (very Perishable). Chitosan merupakan polimer alami
berfungsi sebagai bahan pelapis yang mempunyai kemapuan untuk
menghambat kerusakan tersebut. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui
pengaruh chitosan terhadap daya simpan cabai merah serta mengetahui
konsentrasi optimum dalam penyimpanan cabai merah.Penelitian
dilaksanakan di Laboraturium Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Pekalongan.
Metodenya adalah eksperimen, menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap
(RAL) dengan 5 perlakuan dan 4 ulangan. Perlakuan yang diterapkan
merupakan perbedaan konsentrasi chitosan 0 %, 0,5%, 1%, 1,5%, 2%.
Variabel yang di amati meliputi (1) Mikroorganisme (2) Laju Respirasi (3)
Berat (4) Kadar Pati (5) Kadar Air (6) Kekerasan (7) Kerusakan (8) Warna
(9) Tekstur (10) Aroma (11) Performance Keseluruhan. Data diperoleh
dengan pengamatan dan pencatatan secara langsung terhadap obyek yang
diteliti. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian chitosan dengan
konsentrasi yang berbeda berpengaruh sangat nyata terhadap kualitas daya
simpan cabai merah. Dosis chitosan yang paling baik adalah 2 %, dengan
nilai fungsi laju respirasi y= -7,96X +29.09 (r
2
= 0.98). Pelapisan chitosan
2% mampu memperpanjang daya simpan cabai merah sampai 15 hari
berdasarkan uji organoleptik.
Kata kunci : Cabai Merah, Chitosan, Daya Simpan


Red pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is a kind of vegetables that the
commodities have high economic value, but it is one of vegetables kind that
is easily damaged (very perishable), the damage may be a physical damage,
physiological damage, mechanic, microbiological damage. Chitosan is a
natural polymer serves as a coating material that has capability to inhibit
such damage. The purpose of the study is to know the effect of chitosan’s
concentration on the shelf life of red pepper and determine the optimal
2
concentration in the storage of red paper. The experiment was conducted at
the laboratory of Agriculture Faculty, using experimental method and in
taking sample using complete randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatments
and 4 replications. Treatment that is used is the differences of chitosan
concentration 0%, 0,5%, 1%, 1,5%, 2%. The observed variables (1)
Mikroorgaism (2) Respiration rate (3) weight (4) starch level (5) water level
(6) violence (7) damage (8) colour (9) texture (10) aroma (11) all
performance. Data obtained by direct observation and recording of the
object studied. The result shows that treatment by giving chitosan in
different concentration has very significant effect of the quality of the red
pepper’s storability. Correlation between chitosan’s concentration treatment
toward storability’s quality of red pepper shows in formula y = 1.93X + 1.01
(r
2
= 0.98). 2% of chitosan is the best concentration in storage of red pepper
until 15
th
day.
Keywords: Red pepper, chitosan, Storability.

• UJI VARIASI KONSENTRASI CHITOSAN TERHADAP DAYA SIMPAN CABAI MERAH (Capsicum annum L.)