PENGARUH KOSENTRASI BELIMBING WULUH (Averrhoa bilimbi) TERHADAP KADAR FORMALIN PADA BAKSO

Meatballs are food made from the main ingredient of mashed meat, then mixed with other ingredients, made into balls, and then boiled. Unlike sausages, meatballs are made without preservatives, packaged and smoked. Preservation of meatballs are quite diverse, starting from the process of drying, salting, cooling, adding chemicals, canning, to the use of radiation. However, the process of preserving food ingredients by adding the chemical formaldehyde is prohibited. Therefore, this study aims to determine differences in formalin levels before and after administration of belimbing wuluh (Averrhoa bilimbi) concentration on reducing formalin levels in meatballs and to determine the concentration of belimbing wuluh feelings that is most effective in reducing formalin levels in meatballs. This study used a quasi-experimental method, with a pre and post research design. The result obtained for each concentration of formalin reduction respectively: 30% (104.88 mg/L), 40% (87.76 mg/L), and 50% (42.15 mg/L), with control of 123.5 mg/L. The results showed that there were differences in formalin levels before and after administration of belimbing wuluh (Averrhoa bilimbi) concentration to reduce the formalin level in meatballs, with 50% of belimbing wuluh concentration as the most effective concentration for reducing the formalin level in meatballs