APPLICATION OF OZONE TECHNOLOGY AS AN EFFORT TO INCREASE THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF VEGETABLE COMMODITIES

Abstract

Vegetables are classified as food ingredients that are easily wilted and easily damaged so that vegetables that have been harvested must be marketed and consumed immediately. At room temperature, the freshness of leaf vegetables can only last for 12 hours. For this reason, proper postharvest handling is needed to maintain quality and extend the shelf life of these commodities, including ozone technology (ozonization). Ozone is able to shed pesticide and bacterial contamination as well as heavy metals attached to the surface of fruit or vegetables, making it safe for consumption for health. Vegetable cultivation by productive communities as micro-entrepreneurs has developed quite a lot. The problem that still occurs is the lack of efforts to extend the shelf life of vegetables that can increase consumer preferences for spinach. The “Mutiara Organik” Farmer Group in Sumberejo Village, Ngablak District, Magelang Regency made these efforts by cultivating vegetables and applying ozonation. The program begins with the introduction of packaging technology and continues with the presentation of permits from the Ministry of Health for ozonized organic vegetables. This program provides farmers with a set of production tools and packaging. The analysis also shows that ozone treatment provides higher efficiency, because it can reduce weight loss compared to Japanese spinach without ozone treatment. In addition, ozone treatment has the potential to increase vegetable productivity and quality. Keywords: ozonization; shelf life; vegetables