Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. Capitata L) is a kind of leaf vegetable which consists of layers of leaves shaped into a ball (crop). This layer of leaves is used as food. The damage of cabbage during distribution could happen because of bumping or pressure during distribution which results in bruises or torn on the outer layer. This bruise can activate the decaying process and it may spread to other parts of the cabbage. Other damage during the distribution was evaporation, which results in the reduction of cabbage’s weight. The ongoing respiration during distribution could also reduce the weight although it was in small number. That was why the character of packaging during the transportation would really influence the level of material’s damage. In this research, we would study the influence of some cabbage packagings during the distribution. Three kinds of packaging, which were bamboo basket (K2), plastic sack (K3) and plastic net (K4) were the packagings which were usually used by the farmers and traders in Pagar Alam town. The packaging of wooden box (K1) was tried as treatment K1. After the distribution for about 8 hours from the center of production (Pagar Alam town) to the center of marketing (Palembang city), we did the measurement and analysis to the reduction of weight and the amount of ascorbic acid.The result showed that the weight reduction of cabbage in the packaging after the evaporation were 0.77%, 2.56%, 1.47% and 2.27%, consequently for the packaging of K1, K2, K3, K4. While the weight reduction because of the damage were 1.2%, 8.36%, 14.26% and 15.46%. The evaporation of cabbage was not only reducing the weight but also decreasing the hedonic quality of freshness.
Keywords: Cabbage, Transportation, Weight Reduction
