A STUDY ON ELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE IN RIPENING AMBON-BANANAS (MUSA PARADISIACA VAR. SAPIENTUM) PROCESSES STIMULATED BY ETHREL (2-CHLOROETHYL PHOSPHONIC ACID)

Abstract

The use of ethrel (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid) is faster fruit maturity. Excessive use of ethrel in the ripening of bananas causes damage to the fruit and people who consume it. The principle of measurement based on electrical impedance spectroscopy can detect changes that occur in biological material. This paper discusses the comparison of the electrical impedance values of the ripeness of bananas, which marinated using various ethrel concentrations and natural maturity. The electrical impedance measurement system uses four needle electrodes made of pure silver, which are supported by the use of the V to I module and signal generator from PICOSCOPE 5244B. The system injects a current of one mA into the sample. The sample consisted of bananas through the ripening process using three ethrel concentrations of 1000 ppm and 2000 ppm. Observation of changes in fruit and impedance measurements in the range of 1 Hz to 1 MHz carried out every two days for nine days. The impedance value that correlates with the maturity of the banana well observed in the frequency range between one to 100 kHz. Increasing the impedance value describes the fruit maturity, which indicated by increasing the acidic until peak-phase and increasing sugar content until the fruit rot. The maturation process using ethrel provides the effect of shifting the peak impedance value. The higher the ethrel concentrations that used the electrical impedance value of the banana will be higher.