Postharvest Handling Technology For Export Trial Of Sallaca Fruits (Sallaca Edulis Reinw.) Using Sea Container Transportation

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1 Postharvest Handling Technology For Export Trial Of Sallaca Fruits (Sallaca Edulis Reinw.) Using Sea Container Transportation Dwi Amiarsi, Ira Mulyawanti, and Setyadjit Indonesian Centre for Agriculture Postharvest Research and Development (ICAPRD) Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) JL. Tentara Pelajar no. 12 Bogor, 16114, Indonesia amiarsidwi@yahoo.co.id (corresponding author) Keywords: Sallaca edualis, antimicrobial, transportation, container shipment Abstract Sallaca fruits (snake fruits) as well as other tropical fruits are very rapidly damaged, fruit quality declines, skin dries, flesh of the fruit begins to wilt, pathogen infection symptoms begin appeared, until eventually the fruit to be rotten and unacceptable. Export trial of Sallaca fruits from Jakarta seaport to Malaysia was conducted with the partner of PT. Tulip Sekawan Co. with a batch of 3-4 tons per shipment for 3 times. Prior to packing into cardbox, the fruits were immersed with natural antimicrobial solution of galangal (Alpinia galanga) extracts. This treatment was able to maintain the freshness of fruits cv. Pondoh in sea transport for 6 days with refrigerated container at o C to Malaysia for the 2 nd and 3 rd trial. At the first shipment, the level of fruit damage after arrival in Malaysia reached 70% because the temperature control of the container was not satisfactory. Of the second and third experiment, the level of fruit damage after arrival in Malaysia were reduced to be 1-2% only (the control without antimicrobial treatment damaged reached to 80%). Exports to Malaysia was considered to be quite satisfactory. Performance of the fruit still looks fresh, with hard texture and bright and shiny skin color. However, of all the 3 trials, during the fruit distribution within Malaysia, the percentage of rotten fruit, that was reported by the company partners, was reached 70-80%. Thus, it is still required the another collaborative trial to make the fresh fruit reached nearly 100% to consumers in Malaysia. INTRODUCTION Indonesia has developed a plantation areas of sallaca fruits with the help of a Japanese project started in 1997 to 2002 in Magelang district, Central Java and Banjar district, West Java. The area in each location was about 1,000 ha [1]. Sallaca gardens development have begun to bear fruit in 2003 so that the potential for marketing the fruits will continue to increase in the days to come. In 2013, production reached tons of salacca [2]. Fresh sallaca fruit export from 2008 to 2011 experienced an average growth of 19% to 42% of export value. The export volume of fruits included in other fruits which in 2011 reached 14,818 tons valued at U.S. $ 12,136 [3]. Sallaca fruits (Salacca Reinw edulis) is a tropical fruit native to Indonesia that is popular with the public because it is a typical, sweet, sour and delicious and contains vitamins and minerals needed by the human body. Fruits flavors was influenced by the composition of chemical compounds found in fruits, where the chemical content of fruit can also play a role in maintaining the durability of the fruit. Fruits trading condition in Indonesia during the harvest season is less profitable for farmers because has to be competitive with other fruits such as apples, oranges and other 291

2 fruit, at the same time of the season so market price of salacca is lower. Exporting sallaca fruits abroad be an alternative to reduce the price slump, as well as efforts to contribute to the country's foreign exchange earnings. Cultivars of sallaca produced in Indonesia are Pondoh, Bali, Sidempuan, Manonjaya, Enrekang, and many more. Each cultivar has a typical quality characteristics. Currently, there are indications that sallaca fruits which are mostly exported to neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Hongkong, are then exported to other countries such as China, Japan, the Netherlands and America. These countries have imposed strict requirements in quarantine and quality for fruits from Indonesia. Some constraints of rejection occurred on many fruits. This is because the travel time is long enough so that when arrived in the destination country, the fruits experiencing fruit rot, anthracnose and as well as chilling injury. To shorten the time by using aircraft will ultimately raise the cost, hence transporting by sea could be the feasible way. FAO (1981)[4] suggests the main problems of post-harvest handling of fruits include: improper harvesting time, over-packing and repacking in improper manner, physical damage due to impact and rough handling, and chemical changes during storage. One effort that can be done to overcome this problem is through the application of GHP (Good Handling Practices). In connection with the proper postharvest handling of sallaca fruits, IAARD and the Directorate General of Agricultural Processing and Marketing of Ministry of Agriculture [5] has provided reference and research results as follows: appropriate harvesting, sorting and grading, pre-treatments, packaging, storage, transportation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The materials used in this study was salacca fruits cv. Pondoh. The fruit was obtained from the Farmers Group (Gapoktan) Sekar Aji, Srumbung, Sudimoro village, Kemukus, Magelang district, Central Java. The fruits were aged 5-6 months from pollination with clean skin and shiny scales. (Figure 1).[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] The rhizomes of galangal (Alpinia galangal) were obtained from farmers in Bogor, West Java. This rhizomes were extracted with ethanol to produce extract solution of galangal. The chemicals used were Difco Plate Count Agar, NaCl, distilled water and spirit. The tools used are the autoclave, laminar air flow (LAF), petri dish, ose, sprays, scales, microscopes, test tubes and digital cameras. Research conducted through transportation trials of fruits exports to Malaysia using sea freight, from April to May 2010, with 3 replications. Each replicates using tonnes of sllaca fruits. Research Methods The experiment was conducted at the ICAPRD in 2010 to test the technologies that have been generated including harvesting, sorting and grading. Fruits that have been sorting and grading were then cleaned, immersed, weighed, and packaged in modified atmosphere packaging as much as 1.0 kg per plastic, using plastic polyethylene (PE) 0.04 mm with micro perforation and then put in a plastic packaging crates. Experiments process flow was shown in Figure 2: Observation Parameters observed in trials of transportation to Malaysia is fruits damage expressed as a percentage of damage for each packaging which is calculated based on the total number of existing pieces in each pack. 292

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The composition of nutrients in sallaca fruit are presented in Table 1.Collectors or harvest men of salacca fruits has a very effective way in determining the time of harvest. The collection of harvested salacca fruits up to 10 tons can be done within a day prior to booking or export schedule, so that freshness of fruits can be guaranteed. In general, harvesting is done in the morning, not in rainy weather and handling finished at around 15:00 pm. Delivery to Jakarta was carried out with the non-air conditioned trucks at about 16:00 pm, and arriving at the Packing House Operation (PHO) warehouses in Jakarta at around 7:00 am the next day. Experiments on transportation of fresh fruits exported to Malaysia performed on the last week of May 2010, three times, using the reefer container of 20 ft2 size. with temperature set at 15 o C±2 o C deviation (Figure 3). The port of delivery was Tanjung Priuk Jakarta while the destination port was North Port Klang, Malaysia The amount of sallaca fruits processed for three export trials was kg, while the amount that can be exported was kg (Table 2). In the second trial, salacca exported in three forms of packaging, namely (1) Modified Atmosphere Packaging, (2) Bulk in plastic crates and (3) Bulk-coated foam net. This trial of three forms of packaging was conducted because from the first export trial it was indicated that consumer preferences did not distinguish the appearance of fresh salacca. Another reason was the time needed for exporting bulk packaging by ship only 4 days plus 1 day for dismantling the same as a 5 day trip in the container. Results of previous studies showed that 5 days transport was still safe without the use of modified atmosphere packaging plastic. Salacca Fruits Damages Sorting is a selection of good fruit i.e. no defects fruits and viable for export, and aims to clean up the fruits from the various materials which are not necessary such as stems, twigs and dirt. Sortation of fruits for three trials obtained about 1.75% damaged / rotten fruits, while the physical damaged/defect fruits about 1.24%. In the first export trial both types of damage are not separated. Rotten damaged carried from farmers' lands while physical defect due to incorrect handling, such as impact when cleaning, packaging and transportation, as well as picking method which caused the outbreak of the fruit base. Injured fruits also found that most likely occurred during the process of mechanical cleansing of salacca fruit skin. Perishable nature of horticultural commodities still perform metabolic activities of living hence loading of the fruits in the packaging must be done efficiently to avoid damage to the fruits during transport. Physical damage can also be caused by too full package contents (over packing) or too less (under packing) and too high packing and stacking. Over packing could increase pressure (compression) on the fruit, while under packing could cause the fruits which is located on the top bumping each other and thrown due to vibrations and impact during transport. Too high stacking causes damage to the fruit in the bottom of the heap on the base layer due to the addition of pressure from the top stacks [12]. Damage fruits during the study was dominated by microbiological damage / soft rot, which was caused by the presence of pathogenic microbial infection. Microorganism that carry over from the garden, with a moist and warm atmosphere in the packaging during transport could encourage more rapid decay. Decay process characterized by initial symptoms such as visible dark spots on the skin surface at the base of the fruit, softened and juicy fruit texture, even rotten, or it can be the fruit skin becomes dry and hard hence difficult in stripping the skin, and furtherly the skin surface of fruit will be filled with white and grey misellia as shown in Figure 4. Often the early symptoms of decomposition is also 293

4 not visible, fruit leather looks good, but the texture of the fruit become softened when the fruit is peeled and its flesh will look watery and rotten with black color. Identification of microbes that cause damage to the fruits obtained one type of mold i.e. Penicillum sp, Aspergillus sp, Rhizopus sp and 1 type of yeast which is presented in Figure 5. This is similar to the results of research by Aminah and Supraptini (2003)[13] which showed that in a variety of fruit, it is very susceptible to mold infections. Mold which had been identified was marked with black streaks, while the fruit which was free of fungus showed undetectable stains. Fungi that infected the fruit is usually derived from the spores that attach to the skin of fruit. Mold infection can occur to the fruit before or after harvest. The infection process will be accelerated by damage to the fruit as it falls, bruising due to mechanical treatment, and insect infestation during the postharvest handling so that the mold is able to infect fruit flesh up into pieces. According to FAO (1981)[4], picking at the end of the stem or leaving little fruit stalk is one simple way of harvesting, but was able to prevent fungus infection. However, defects or injuries caused by falls in fruit often can not be avoided so as an entry point for insects and mold infestation. FAO (1981)[4] recommends a well-organized harvesting to reduce physical damage. Aminah and Supraptini (2003)[13] argues that the handling of the fruit can be done by removing dirt left behind. The total time required for handling export transportation was 8 days, which consists of 1 day of harvest handling, 1 day packing, 1 day shipping, 4 days sea trips, and 1 day of custom administration in North Port Klang. Trial of first export takes 10 days due to the transit of containers in the port of Singapore. Transport trial has not run perfectly. Problems faced when three trials conducted were: The first trial: container having problems maintaining temperature of 15 o C. At the time of filling/boarding in the Condet PHO, Jakarta, the refrigeration container was forced to shut down so that the temperature reached 29 o C. Another mistake was packing crate stacking arrangement was not symmetric, leading to pressure on fruits. The first delivery resulting in 70% damage to the fruits when the container arrived at the port North Klang and 20% were damaged after 3 days show. The second trial successfully reduced approximately 1-2% damage upon arrival in North Port Klang, but there was a mistake in the handling of fruits during unboarding which the fruit packs was left open in the barn at temperature around 30 o C, and local transport was carried out by trucks without cooling facilities, therefore the fruits were damage by more than 30% within 3 days. The third trial successfully reduce damage around 1-2%. Fruits distribution to stores was conducted through some phases. The first phase of 1.37 tons were distributed directly when the container arrived, the damage was only 1%. The rest was stored in a container for 3 days, mixed with soursop fruit and persimmon fruits which were transported together in a container and have already decayed. This resulted in fruits damage to about 40% within 3 days, presumably due to the high ethylene production of the rotten fruits. Trial exports will be continued with efforts to fix the mistakes that occurred in the third exports trials. The next trial will continue to be scheduled (with partners), by limiting other fruit mixture. Management of packaging and handling will be improved by forming a special unit officers and supervisory personnel from the ICAPRD. CONCLUSION Application of natural extracts of galangal (Alpinia galangal) as antimicrobial was able to maintain the freshness of sallaca fruits cv. Pondoh in sea transport for 6 days using reefer containers at o C to Malaysia as export destination country. The level of fruit damage after unboarding in Malaysia can be reduced to 1-2% only ( without antimicrobial 294

5 treatment reached to 80%). Performance of sallaca fruits still looked fresh, with hard texture, bright and shiny skin color, with the increase in fruits shelf life up to 21-days. Recommendation Handling the distribution of fruits from the warehouses port Puchong Gateway Malaysia to the place of marketing in the Klang Valley and Ipoh Area area still needs further improvement, because the importer and exporters have not had a cold chain facility for local distribution. Aknowledgements We would like to thank Dr. Ridwan Thahir and Mrs. Ir. Yulianingsih. MS (almh) of Indonesian Centre for Agriculture Postharvest Research and Development (ICAPRD) Cimanggu Agriculture Campus, Bogor, Indonesia for some suggestions and collaborative experimental works conducted at ICAPRD. Literature Cited Anonim Directorate of cultivation and post-harvest fruit, Directorate General of Horticulture. Department of Agriculture. Jakarta. Biro Pusat Statistik Anonim, Crops Cultivation of Salacca (Salacca edulis) November 2008 FAO Food Loss Prevention in Perishable Crops: II. Postharvest losses in perishable crops. FAO and UNEP, Rome, Italy. [2 October 2012]. Anonymous, How good postharvest handling Good Handling Practices (GHP) horticulture. Directorate General of Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products (P2HP). Department of Agriculture. Sabari Sosrodihardjo Physical and chemical salacca Pondoh. Horticulture Research Bulletin XIII(2): Hastuti,P. dan Ari M Changes in chemical properties and consumer pleasure to pondoh salacca during storage at cold temperatures. In the E.S. Herath et al. Proceedings of the Seminar on Post Harvest Agricultural Research, Agency for Agricultural Research and Development. Department of Agriculture, Jakarta. Sulusi, Prabawati, Suyanti, Sjaifullah Determination of aging Salacca Fruit Harvest for Getting High Quality Good Suwaru. Journal of horticulture. 6(3): Suhardjo dan Wijadi Determination of the time of harvest and handling of fresh salacca. The full report is chloral rapid multiplication technology and engineering improvements production and quality of salacca. ARMP. Sub Center horticultural research Malang. Yulianingsih, Ridwan Thahir, Dwi Amiarsi, Ira Mulyawanti, Edy Mulyono Modified Atmospheric Packaging Technology Implementation at Salacca Fruit (Capacity 10 tons) During the 21-Day Transportation for Export Purpose With Levels Damage Less Than 20%. Final Report of Research Activities. Indonesian Centre for Agriculture Postharvest Research and Development. Darmawati, E Computer Simulation for the Design of Packaging Carton Waves in Transportation Fruits - Fruits. Thesis. Graduate Program, Bogor Agricultural University. 295

6 Aminah, N.S. and Supraptini Fungi on fruits, vegetables, legs of flies and the environment in traditional markets and supermarkets. Journal of Health Ecology 2(3):

7 Tables Table 1. Components of sallaca fruits per 100 grams Component Quantity Calory (cal) 77.0 Protein (%) 0.62 Fat (%) 0.00 Carbohydrate (%) Sugar (%) Potassium (mg) Calcium (mg) 5.69 Sodium (mg) Fe (mg) 0.36 Vitamin C (mg) 1.21 Water (%) 80.0 Ash (%) 0,64 Source: Yulianingsih et. al., 2010[11] Table 2. Trials of sallaca fruits exports to Malaysia by ship transport. Illustration Exsport I ( ) Exsport II ( ) Exsport III ( ) 1. Amount of salacca that received 2, , , (kg) 2. Real amount of salacca exported (kg) 2, , , a. Export in modified atmospherepackaging (kg) - 1, b. Export in bulk (kg) - 1, c. Export in layered stacking (kg) - 930,00 - d. Export in layered stacking 2(kg) (%) (9.05) (8.42) 3. Damaged by fungus/rot (kg) (%) (8.92) *) (3.59) *) (1.75) Physically damaged/defective (kg) - - (%) (1.24) Remarks: *) rotten damaged and physical defects are not separated 297

8 Figures Figure 1. Fruit barking age 5 months. Salacca fruits cv. Pondoh Sorting and cleaning the fruit Pretreatment: immersion in the galangal extract solutionl (antimicrobial extract 5%; 30 seconds) Modified atmosphere packaging (packaging 10 kg / plastic crates) Transport trials (15 o C) with partners Observations of damage fruit in Malaysia (partners) Figure 2. Trial process flow Figure 3. Reefer containers are used to transport fresh sallaca fruits for export test with a setting temperature of 15 o C ± 2 o C. Figure 4.(a). Fruits rot due to fungus infection;,(b). Misellia fungus causes rotting fruits (a) (b) (c) Figure 5. (a) Penicillum sp, (b) Aspergillus sp, (c) Rhizopus sp 298