Physical Quality of Lemongrass Powder (Cymbopogon citratus L.) From Microwave Oven Drying

Abstract

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus L.) can be known as an herbal plant that has many benefits. In addition, lemongrass can also be used to give a distinctive taste to a dish. The use of lemongrass in food can be done directly in a fresh form in the dish. The use of lemongrass in fresh form can be said to be less practical and cannot be stored for quite a long time. One of the things that can be done to extend the shelf life of lemongrass is to process fresh lemongrass into lemongrass powder. Therefore, one of the right handling to obtain good quality products and reduce lemongrass spoilage is by carrying out the drying process using a microwave. The purpose of this study was to determine the physical quality of lemongrass powder from microwave drying and study the relationship between microwave power and different bending durations to the physical quality of lemongrass powder. The results showed that the moisture content of fresh lemongrass ranged from 85,928 – 87.208% while the water content of lemongrass powder ranged from 5,876 – 9.728%. Lemongrass that has gone through the drying and scavenging process is then carried out the sifting process using a 60 mesh sieve. The lemongrass powder that passes the sieve is then measured for physical quality. The physical quality of the lemongrass powder produced is the physical quality of the lemongrass powder produced, which has a brightness level (L) ranging from 78.48-90.87; the degree of redness (a) ranges from -0.49 to - 1.45; yellowish level (b) ranges from 0.22 – 3.62; bulk density ranges from 0.41 – 0.48 g/cm3; water activity ranges from 0.33-0.40. Based on the results of statistical analysis, the physical quality of lemongrass powder with the best combination of treatments was obtained at microwave power difference treatment.