PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN KONSENTRASI GARAM DAN LAMA FERMENTASI TERHADAP KIMCHI ALBEDO SEMANGKA

Fermentation, according to industrial microbiology experts, is any process that produces a product from microbial cultures. Salt is one of the components that influences vegetable fermentation. It serves as a selective inhibitor for contaminating microbes and also inhibits the growth of other microorganisms. One of the fermentation products is kimchi. Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a climbing fruit plant originating from Africa, highly favored by the Indonesian population due to its high water content and its vitamins A, C, and E. According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (CSA), watermelon production reached 367,651 tons in 2022. The high consumption level of watermelon correlates with the waste produced, specifically the watermelon albedo. The albedo is often regarded as waste and is not utilized as food. To reduce waste, this watermelon albedo can be used and processed into kimchi. This study aims to determine the effect of different salt concentrations and fermentation durations on watermelon albedo kimchi. The research employs a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors. The first factor is salt concentration at 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5%. The second factor is fermentation time at 3 days and 7 days. The tested parameters include the total lactic acid bacteria, pH, vitamin C, fiber content, and organoleptic properties of the kimchi, which encompass aroma, taste, texture, and overall preference. The results show that both salt concentration and fermentation duration significantly affect (P<0.05) the pH, total lactic acid bacteria, and organoleptic properties of watermelon albedo kimchi. However, they do not significantly affect (P>0.05) fiber content, vitamin C levels, or the concentration of total lactic acid bacteria at a dilution of 10-4.