Aloe vera is widely used to manufacture medicinal products, cosmetics, and hair treatments. The polysaccharide components in A. vera gel can be used as ingredients for edible films or coatings. The edible film can also be applied to fresh fruits and vegetables using the coating principle. Tomatoes are one of the fruit commodities that can be maintained in terms of quality during storage using an edible coating. This study aims to determine the effect of an edible coating made from A. vera on tomatoes’ physical, chemical, and organoleptic properties during storage. The A. vera gel was prepared and used for coating the tomatoes, and the tomatoes were then stored for twelve days. The analysis was conducted every three days, and a comparison with non-coated tomatoes was performed for tomatoes’ physicochemical and organoleptic properties. The results show that the application of A. vera as a coating agent could prolong the shelf life of tomatoes, as described in the ability to decrease moisture content and weight loss. The coated tomatoes had lower titratable acidity value, pH, and total soluble solid contents than the non-coated tomatoes. From the organoleptic test, the non-coated tomatoes were preferred by the panelists for color, but the glossiness, skin appearance, and texture of the coated tomatoes were preferred. The coating process could maintain the hardness of tomatoes and prevent the production of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and lycopene; thus, the antioxidant activity could be conserved.

Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini bekerjasama dengan mitra pemilik usaha maupun calon pengusaha UMKM yang berada di wilayah Kelurahan Keboananom, Kecamatan Gedangan, Kabupaten Sidoarjo. Terdapat 6 mitra yang terlibat dalam kegiatan ini. Pelaksanaan kegiatan dimulai dengan identifikasi masalah dan diskusi bersama mitra mengenai peluang usaha frozen food dan bagaimana mitra dikenalkan dengan produk-produk yang dapat diproduksi dan disimpan dalam bentuk frozen. Setelah diskusi maka mitra dilatih untuk membuat produk yang dapat disimpan beku. Pada kegiatan praktek ini, mitra diberikan formula dan cara kerja serta mempraktekkan pembuatan bakso dan sosis premium dan ekonomis, serta dessert kekinian berbahan ubi jalar ungu, serta perhitungan harga pokok produksi dan perkiraan harga jual. Dari hasil kegiatan, pengetahuan mitra akan produk yang dibekukan, ketrampilan dalam pembuatan produk, dan kemampuan perhitungan harga pokok produksi meningkat. Setelah pelatihan diharapkan mitra dapat meningkatkan ketrampilan dengan mempraktekkan di tempat usaha masing-masing dan menangkap peluang membuat unit usaha baru.

Bakery products are a popular staple food made from wheat flour and other ingredients. Common bread-making methods include baking, steaming, and frying. Recent trends focus on developing value-added bakery products by incorporating various health-promoting ingredients like fruit. Dragon fruit can be used in bread formulations due to its high fiber, bioactive content, and antioxidant activity. However, adding red dragon fruit can also be challenging in obtaining a high-quality bakery product because it will affect the physicochemical and sensory properties. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of different red dragon fruit puree concentrations on the physicochemical and sensory properties of bread made with red dragon fruit. Three bakery products were made: white bread, steamed buns, and donuts. The red dragon fruit puree concentrations were 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60%, respectively. The treatment was repeated four times. Meanwhile, the analyses included moisture content, specific volume, hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, color, phenolic, DPPH, superoxide radical scavenging activity, and sensory properties. The presence of red dragon fruit puree increased the moisture content of white bread (0.3% to 2.1%), steamed buns (1.75% to 18.21%), and donuts (2.30% to 13.81%). Meanwhile, the presence of the puree decreased the capability of bread to expand, which ranged from 4.07 to 2.82 cm³/g for white bread, 3.14 to 2.78 cm³/g for steamed buns, and 3.47 to 2.87 cm³/g for donuts, resulting in a decrease in specific volume. The concentration of red dragon fruit puree also plays an important role in increasing the hardness and cohesiveness and decreasing springiness. The increase in red dragon fruit puree concentration affects the color parameters. Furthermore, the presence of red dragon fruit puree can maintain its high phenolic content, which was 15.25–59.11 mg GAE/100 g for white bread, 17.98–59.82 mg GAE/100 g for steamed buns, and 11.56–46.33 mg GAE/100 g for donuts, and dietary fiber, which was 1.32–2.03% for white bread, steamed buns 1.27–1.96%, and donuts 1.27–1.95%. Furthermore, the higher concentration of red dragon fruit puree contributes to higher phenolic and dietary fiber content. Bakery products could be developed as functional food, as reflected by their high antioxidant activity. Meanwhile, the sensory tests revealed that panelists could accept all three products.

Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini dilaksanakan bekerja sama dengan kelompok mitra yang tidak produktif secara ekonomi, khususnya Orang Muda Katolik Paroki Santo Paulus di Juanda, Sidoarjo, dan Organisasi Wanita Katolik Republik Indonesia Paroki Salib Suci Tropodo di Sidoarjo.. Dengan penguasaan pengetahuan dan metode-metode ini, mitra diharapkan dapat melatih diri menjadi wirausaha. Tujuan dari kegiatan ini adalah untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan mitra dalam pengolahan produk pangan. Kegiatan telah dilakukan dalam beberapa tahapan, dimulai dengan pendataan peserta, diskusi persiapan, orientasi, pelaksanaan pelatihan, dan monitoring kegiatan usaha. Evaluasi kegiatan abdimas menunjukkan bahwa pelatihan diikuti oleh 20 peserta. Produk yang dilatihkan berupa bakso, nugget, dan siomai. Peserta dilatih untuk memilih bahan baku, tahapan-tahapan penting produksi, serta pengemasan dan penyimpanan beku/frozen. Acara berlangsung dengan baik dan dilakukan evaluasi sebelum dan setelah kegiatan yang menunjukkan peningkatan pengetahuan dan ketrampilan mitra dalam pembuatan produk yang dilatihkan. Kesimpulan dari kegiatanini, pelatihan yang diberikan dapat bermanfaat bagi organisasi mitra dan anggotanya dan berpeluang untuk meningkatkan taraf ekonomi.