The Making of Vegetable and Tropical Fruit Sheet as Alternative of

Traditional Packaging and Improving Daily Intake

Monang Sihombing

1,*

and Angelly Wulan Pricilia Kalengkongan

Food Technology Study Program, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia

Nutrition Science Study Program, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia

Keyword: Vegetable Fruit Sheet, Edible Packaging, Drying.

Abstract: Indonesia has natural and traditional ethnic diversity as well as traditional cake and culinary, which are

generally packaged or served using natural leaves. At the same time, Indonesia also has daily nutrition intake

issues, especially daily intake of fruits-vegetables that still far from the standar. The limitations of processing

technology and perceptions of fruits and vegetables have resulted in minimal use and intake. The purpose of

research is utilization of vegetables-fruit as part of the packaging or serving of traditional cake-culinary in the

form of fruit-vegetable sheet as edible packaging. For that purpose, green spinach (Amaranthus gangeticus)

has been choosen as vegetable sheet materials. Persimmon (Diospyros) and mango (Mangifera indica) has

been choosen as fruit sheet materials. The drying method using a combination of vaccum drying at

temperature of 60-65˚C and a microwave for 90 minute. As a binder, using 15% fiber-based binder which has

barrier function while providing flexibility and a strong structure of sheet. The sheet product are tested for

acceptance level base on taste, aroma and structure attribute. Analysis of chemicals characteristic focusing on

macronutrien of spinach and carotenoid of fruit. Carotenoid analized using spectrophotometer on 400-600 λ.

Based on the results of the organoleptic test using 60 untrained panelist, the average panelist perception for

all attribute between standar and product, increase from 2-3 scale to 3-4 scale with the P value <0.05 for

aroma, taste and texture attribute. The nutrient test resulted that edible vegetable sheet containing 72% of fiber

and 3,2gr/100gr Fe. The carotenoid test resulted 2,9567 mg/ 100gr product, which is it still enough for intake.

So it can be concluded that edible vegetable and fruit sheet has better sensory, still containing enough Fe,

Fiber and antioxidant carotenoid for intake, at the same time has good texture as edible packaging.

1 INTRODUCTION

Indonesia is located in the tropical zone where ethnic

groups are spreading within thousands islands

(Kemendikbud, 2016). The ethnic groups in

Indonesia exhibits the large variations of cake-

culinary across the country and some of it consistent

using traditional packaging (leaf base, ex: banana

leaf, corn leaf, coconut leaf) (Tyas, 2017). Thus, the

variation of traditional cake-culinary related to the

different kinds of plant there are localy. It makes

Indonesia known as Mega-biodiversity country in the

world. In opposite, Indonesia has very low

consumtion in fruit and vegetable,only less than 160

gr/day in total daily intake (Susenas, 2016). This

value is far from recommendation by The Health

Ministry of Republic of Indonesia in The Regulation

of The Minister of Health No. 41 about the guidance

for balanced nutrition, 400 gr/day (Kesehatan, 2014).

The low perception of fruit and vegetable in

customer mostly because of taste, aroma, texture and

post-harvest handling process (Polard et al., 2009;

Richards et al., 2010; Karagianni and Tsakiridou,

2003). The dried fresh processing is one of the best

method to maintain fresh material content (Maskan et

al., 2002). Unfortunately, fresh materials irresistible

from heat processing (Sundari et al., 2015). Adding a

binder is one of method to reducing active component

losses during drying process by wall formation

mechanism (Diamante et al., 2014). So it can

protected the core materials from heat penetration.

Therefore, this research Aim to reform vegetables and

fruits into flexible sheet with adding agar as a binder

and texture base material, so it can be used as

alternative edible traditional packaging while

improving daily nutrional intake at a time.

Sihombing, M. and Kalengkongan, A.

The Making of Vegetable and Tropical Fruit Sheet as Alternative of Traditional Packaging and Improving Daily Intake.

DOI: 10.5220/0009984300002964

In Proceedings of the 16th ASEAN Food Conference (16th AFC 2019) - Outlook and Opportunities of Food Technology and Culinary for Tourism Industry, pages 72-75

ISBN: 978-989-758-467-1

2 MATERIALS AND METHOD

This research is a laboratory experiment. This

research was conducted in the processing laboratory

of Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga. The

sample of the vegetable using green spinach which

has young and soft foliage, sample of fruit using

mango and kesemek, the agar-agar was used as binder

obtained from Salatiga, Central Java. The research

process covered the puree-making, formulation,

nutrient analysis, phytochemical analysis and the

sensory acceptance rate.

2.1 The Making Fruits and Vegetable

Puree

As many as 500 gr of green spinach and mango –

persimmon fruits had been washed and blanched

using iced water along 10 – 15 minutes. Then it was

mashed up by using blender until it became a puree.

The next step was to take 100 g of puree and mix it

with 5% agars as the binder. Blend it until evenly

mixed.

2.2 Drying Process

The microwave was set to the low temperature

(165

F) until the level of the water content reached

less than 13%. The puree would be spreader evenly

on the baking sheet. The drying process was

conducted to form the structure and the color of the

product.

2.3 Analysis of Total Fe Content

The analysis of the total iron (Fe) content was

determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

method (AAS) at 248 nm, slit-width 0.2 nm,

sensitivity 0.12 ppm.

2.4 Analysis of Total Fruits Carotenoid

Content

30 ml of 100% acetone on 10 gr of sample (fruit /

vegetable puree) due to the maceration process and

filtered using 2,7 micron and 1 micron filter paper to

get filtrate. Carotenoid content analyzed using

Spektrofotometer UV-Vis at 200 – 800 nm and

calculate by formulation:

  





10







1100

(1)

A1: extrinsic coefficient, V: volume (ml), G: weight

of sample (g).

2.5 The Sensory Reception Test

The sensory reception test for the material of the real

spinach and the green spinach leather used Hedonic

rating test using the untrained 53 panelists. The test

attribute used was flavor, texture, and aroma. The

rating scale used was from 1 – 5 from very dislike,

dislike, neutral, like, very like.

3 RESULT

3.1 Vegetable and Fruit Sheet

The vegetable and fruit sheet (Figure 1) still has

bright green color which indicated the original color

of the spinach.

Figure 1: (A) Green spinach (Amaranthus spp) vegetable

sheet, (B) Persimmon (Diospyros) Sheet, (C) Mango

(Mangifera spp) sheet.

Characteristic of the vegetable and fruits sheet

was dry on the surface but it still has flexibility

textures and could be ripped out easily (Gujral and

Brar, 2007). Flexibility is one of important

characteristic as a packaging. The color of sheet was

still bright as the original, some area shows uneven

color because of the differences in thickness product

surface. Color is one of indicator nutrient losses

during process, especially on mango and persimmon

fruits, the color component containing a pro vitamin

A such as caroteoids. Base on the analysis (Table 1),

the fruits sheet has 2,9 mg/100 gr in average of total

carotenoids. This amount still enough to cover daily

intake of vitamin A, although this value was far from

the total amount of carotenoid in original fruit.

In the case of spinach vegetable sheet product, the

main active component was in fiber and vitamine

content, although the chlorophyll has biological

activity, such as antioxidant, but the green spinach

has been known as Fe source food. The Fe amount on

A B C

The Making of Vegetable and Tropical Fruit Sheet as Alternative of Traditional Packaging and Improving Daily Intake

the fruit sheet (Table 1) quite high, 3.3 mg/100 gr.

Normally total amount Fe originally is 3.5 mg/100gr.

The differences of losing active component

between vegetable and fruit sheet because of the

drying mechanism between those component. When

drying process, the pigment act as barier protection for

the other component. So it break down mostly in that

process and structure of green spinach vegetable has

containing more fiber than mango-persimmon, which

Fiber basically are polysacharida that form a wall

when heated (Gujral and Brar, 2007). Especially the

binder that used is a fiber base. To ensure the loss of

nutrient during drying process in the vegetable sheet,

proximate analysis test was performed (Table 2).

Table 1: Fe and Caroteoid Analysis.

Materials

Total

Carotenoid

(mg/100 g)

Total Fe

(mg/100g)

Moisture

Contain

(%)

Fruit sheet 2.957 - 11.66%

Vegetable sheet - 3.3 10.94%

Remark:

- The result of the total Fe content was the highest Fe

content from triple repetition using AAS.

- The total carotenoids value is the calculation of the

highest absorbtion value obtained.

In the case of spinach vegetable sheet product, the

main active component was in fiber and vitamine

content, although the chlorophyll has biological

activity, such as antioxidant, but the green spinach

has been known as Fe source food. The Fe amount on

the fruit sheet (Table 1) quite high, 3.3 mg/100 gr.

Normally total amount Fe originally is 3.5 mg/100gr.

The differences of losing active component

between vegetable and fruit sheet because of the

drying mechanism between those component. When

drying process, the pigment act as barier protection for

the other component. So it break down mostly in that

process and structure of green spinach vegetable has

containing more fiber than mango-persimmon, which

Fiber basically are polysacharida that form a wall

when heated (Gujral and Brar, 2007). Especially the

binder that used is a fiber base. To ensure the loss of

nutrient during drying process in the vegetable sheet,

proximate analysis test was performed (Table 2).

Adding agar as a binder, affect the fiber content

wich is quite high in the sheet product as shown in

Table 2. It mean, the binder has function not only

binding fruit/vegetable puree, but also as fortificant

as well (added value component).

3.2 Sensory Test Analysis

In the testing scale from 1 to 5, from very dislike to

very like, in general, the panelist’s respon in Figure

2.A mostly on the range rating 2 – 3, which is from

dislike to like rating with a close enough difference

between standard (green spinach) and the product

(green spinach sheet). Generally, perception of

vegetable sheet product higher than standard for all

atribute, except the texture attribute. It means

vegetable in the sheet form, affect to increasing the

perception of original spinach vegetable.

Sensory test of fruit sheet resulted as similiar as

vegetable sheet test result. Most of panelist’s respon

shows the fruit sheet product have better perception

than the original fruit (Ayotte, 1980) in most of

attribute, except aroma attribute. Naturally fruit has

sweet aroma and sweet is a pleasant aroma. In other

case, green spinach naturally has bitter and grass

aroma. Bitter is unpleasant taste and aroma. Agar as

a binder effectively covered the original aroma of

fruit – vegetable in the mechanism of wall formation

during drying process.

Figure 2: Hedonic rating test result (A) vegetable sheet - standard and (B) Fruit sheet – standar.

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

aroma taste texture overall

RatingScore

Atribute

standar

Product

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

aroma taste texture

RatingScore

Atribute

standar

Product

16th AFC 2019 - ASEAN Food Conference

4 CONCLUSION

Base on the analysis result there are several

conclusion related to this research:

a. Base on the flexibility charateristic, Vegetable

and fruits sheet has good potential as alternative

packaging (traditional).

b. Vegetable and fuit sheet has better perception

than the originally form and still have enough

amount of nutrient-minerals as daily intake.

Table 2: Proximate Aalysis Result of Green Spinach

vegetable sheet (Amaranthus spp).

Nutritional

Content

The Average Content of

Green Spinach sheet (%)

Fiber 73,68

Carbohydrate 17,56

Protein 3,19

Fat 0,02

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The author declare that there is no conflict of interest

regarding the publication of this paper.

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The Making of Vegetable and Tropical Fruit Sheet as Alternative of Traditional Packaging and Improving Daily Intake