KUALITAS IKAN CAKALANG (Katsuwonus pelamis L.) ASAP PADA BEBERAPA SENTRA PENGOLAHAN DI SULAWESI UTARA

Abstract

Skipjack tuna “fufu” is a typical North Sulawesi smoked fish. This product is very popular and caught the interest by local residents and domestic tourists. Up until now, there is no uniform quality of skipjack tuna fufu products in the market. The products of smoked fish varied in textures and salty flavors. It is indicated of the lack of processing standard of smoked skipjack which can be used as a benchmark for fish processors. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the quality of smoked skipjack produced by 5 different fish processors in North Sulawesi. Tests were carried out on salt content, moisture content, and sensory of saltiness and texture of fish. The result showed that the salt and moisture content of smoked skipjack obtained from 5 different processors still meet the Indonesian National Standard requirements. The organoleptic test shows a variety of panelist perception of saltiness and texture of smoked fish. Furthermore, there was a very weak correlation between the saltiness value and salt content (r = 0.132) and between the texture and moisture content (r = 0.187).

Ikan cakalang fufu merupakan ikan asap khas Sulawesi Utara. Ikan ini semakin digemari dan diminati oleh penduduk lokal maupun wisatawan domestik. Sampai saat ini belum ada produk ikan cakalang fufu dengan mutu yang seragam di pasaran. Produk ikan asap yang dihasilkan memiliki tekstur yang beragam dan rasa asin yang bervariasi. Hal ini karena tidak adanya standard proses pengolahan ikan cakalang fufu yang dapat dijadikan patokan bagi pengolah ikan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kualitas ikan Cakalang asap yang dihasilkan oleh 5 tempat pengolahan berbeda di Sulawesi Utara. Pengujian dilakukan terhadap kadar garam, kadar air, dan uji organoleptik terhadap rasa asin dan tekstur ikan. Kadar garam dan kadar air ikan Cakalang asap dari 5 pengolah berbeda masih memenuhi Standar Nasional Indonesia. Uji organoleptik menunjukan bervariasinya penilaian panelis terhadap rasa asin dn tekstur ikan asap. Adanya korelasi yang sangat lemah antara nilai organoleptik rasa asin dan kadar garam (r = 0.132) maupun antara nilai organoleptik tekstur dan kadar air (r=0.187).