ABSTRACT
Red chili is a perishable commodity, so correct and appropriate postharvest cultivation is necessary. One of the postharvest handling technologies that can be used to prevent damage is heat treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of heat treatment on hardness, moisture content, vitamin C levels, and total red chili molds. The design of this study was a simple, utterly randomized design with hot water treatment (HWT). The treatment consisted of timed heat treatment for 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes. The results of the study showed that the time of heat treatment had a significant effect on water content, vitamin C, texture, and total mold. The conclusion was that the length of time of heat treatment can reduce water levels and vitamin C but increase the texture of chili and inhibit the growth of mold.
