The Effect of Ascorbic Acid on the Quality of Fresh Cut Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr ) Stored at 5°C

Ayu Lestari (Faculty of agriculture, Universiti Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Jl. Kapten Muchtar Basri No.3, Glugur Darat II, Kec. Medan Timur, Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara 20238)
Siti Aisyah A (Malaysian Agricultural Resech and Development Institute (MARDI), 43400, Persiaran MARDI – UPM, MARDI, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia)
Khair Hadriman (Faculty of agriculture, Universiti Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Jl. Kapten Muchtar Basri No.3, Glugur Darat II, Kec. Medan Timur, Kota Medan, Sumatera Utara 20238)

Jurnal Agronomi Tanaman Tropika (JUATIKA)
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): Jurnal Agronomi Tanaman Tropika (JUATIKA) Vol. 8 No. 1 January 2026

Fresh-cut pineapple is increasingly popular due to its convenience and high nutritional value. This study evaluatedthe effects of different concentrations of ascorbic acid on the quality of fresh-cut pineapple (Ananas comosus L.var. MS16) stored at 5 °C by analyzing hardness, color parameters (L*, a*, b*, chroma, hue angle), soluble solidscontent, sugar/acid ratio, ascorbic acid content, and total titratable acidity. Results showed that ascorbic acidhad no significant effect (p > 0.05) on hardness and color, indicating stable texture and appearance, butsignificantly affected (p < 0.05) the sugar/acid ratio, ascorbic acid content, and total titratable acidity. The 0.5%treatment best maintained texture (3.02 N), acidity (4.56% citric acid), and color stability, while the 1% treatmentproduced the highest vitamin C content (28.53 mg/100 g). The control exhibited the highest sugar/acid ratio(40.89), indicating a sweeter taste but lower antioxidant protection. Overall, 0.5% ascorbic acid was the mosteffective concentration for preserving freshness and nutritional quality during cold storage.