Formalin Qualitative Analysis on Salted Fish Samples in Sederhana Market of Bandung

Abstract

Salted fish is one of the most nutritious foods consumed in Indonesia but it is very prone to
spoilage. Due to the speed of decomposition of salted fish, many traders use formaldehyde as
a preservative for salted fish. Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of
Indonesia Number 1168 / Menkes / PER / X / 1999 states that formalin is a preservative that
is prohibited from being used as a food preservative because it can cause damage to the
digestive tract, liver and lungs, and can even cause cancer. The purpose of this study was to
identify the formaldehyde content in salted fish sold in the Sederhana Market in Bandung.
This research was conducted by taking samples at the Sederhana Market in Bandung.
Qualitative analysis of formaldehyde was carried out at the Chemical Testing Laboratory of
Balai Besar Pengawas Obat dan Makanan in Bandung in October 2020. Formalin
identification of 25 fish samples was done colorimetrically using the MERCK test kit. Based
on the grouping of salted fish, positive results were obtained by 20% for Salted Anchovies
and 100% for Salted Cucut Fish, while Salted Kapas Fish, Salted Squid, and Salted Sepat
Fish did not contain formaldehyde. The conclusion of this study is that 24% of salted fish
taken from the Bandung Sederhana Market was positive for formaldehyde. The group that
contains the most formalin is Salted Cucut Dish.