Smart Labels as Indicators of Tomato Freshness Using Mangosteen Peel Extract

Abstract

Tomato is one of the most popular tropical fruits because it tastes fresh and can be consumed directly or processed as a seasoning, garnish, and industrial raw material. Tomato cultivation is increasing with the increasing demand for tomatoes in the market. As a perishable product, many efforts have been made to maintain the quality of fresh tomatoes, one of which is by packing fresh tomatoes using innovative packaging. Smart packaging is packaging with an additional label to provide information to consumers without touching the product, so that product cleanliness is maintained. Several studies have added synthetic substances as smart labels, which will certainly have a negative impact on fresh products that are consumed directly. For this reason, smart labels were developed on packaging with natural ingredients taken from plant extracts. One that can be used as an indicator on a smart label is the rind of the mangosteen fruit. Mangosteen rind contains high anthocyanin substances, which are very sensitive to changes in pH. This situation can be used as an indicator of changes in pH that accompany a decrease in the quality of tomatoes during storage. This study aimed to determine the action of anthocyanin substances from mangosteen rind as a smart label indicator that detects the freshness of packaged tomatoes during storage, both at room temperature and cold storage.