ANALISIS KANDUNGAN FORMALIN PADA IKAN ASIN KEPALA BATU YANG BERADA DI PASAR TRADISIONAL KOTA JAMBI

Abstract

Formalin or formaldehyde belongs to a group of strong disinfectant compounds that are often used as a corpse preservative. Formalin is also often used as a preservative and food additive. The use of Formalin in foodstuffs should not exist because it can endanger the health of the body, where formaldehyde can cause gastric irritation and is carcinogenic. Salted fish is one of the processed fish products that are in great demand by the people of Jambi. This type of preparation has good durability with natural processes, but there are cases where formalin is used as a preservative. This study aims to determine the content of formalin in salted fish found in the Jambi City Traditional Market. This research was conducted descriptively where samples were taken randomly from several markets in Jambi City, Indonesia. The data were analyzed qualitatively to determine the physical characteristics of salted fish. In addition, quantitative analysis was also carried out to determine the level of formalin present in salted fish using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 520 nm. Based on the results obtained from 25 samples of Salted Fish Head Stone analyzed, taken from traditional markets namely Market A, Market B, Market C, Market D and Market E, the levels of formalin obtained in each market vary with the highest value in the Mama market. Overall, samples of salted fish of the type of stone head circulating in the traditional markets of Jambi City contain formaldehyde.