Pengaruh Frekuensi Pencucian dan Konsentrasi Egg White Powder Terhadap Karakteristik Fisik, Kimia dan Miksroskopis Surimi Ikan Tembang (Sardinella Fimbriata)

Abstract

The utilization of coastal fishery resources, particularly low-value fish such as fimbriate herring (Sardinella fimbriata), remains suboptimal despite its abundant production in East Java. One approach to increase its economic value is processing it into surimi as a semi-finished product with good functional properties. This study aims to analyze the effects of washing frequency and the addition of egg white powder (EWP) on the physical and chemical characteristics of tembang fish surimi, to determine the optimal treatment using De Garmo’s effectiveness index method, and to characterize the optimal treatment through microstructural analysis and amino acid profiling. The research was conducted using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with two factors: washing frequency (A1 = 1, A2 = 2, and A3 = 3 times) and EWP concentration (B1 = 2%, B2 = 3%, and B3 = 4% of dough weight). Results showed that chemical quality ranged as follows: moisture content 69.65%–73.88%, ash content 0.71%–1.18%, protein content 18.01%– 19.37%, fat content 0.84%–2.86%, and carbohydrate content 4.72%–8.29%. Physical quality indicated L* values of 45.10–50.03, a* values of 5.71–6.52, b* values of 11.29–13.53, texture values of 29.89–40.44 g/cm, and WHC values of 66.67%–81.40%. The results of the ANOVA analysis showed significant differences in texture parameters and WHC. Both parameters were significantly influenced by one factor, namely the addition of egg white powder (EWP). Analysis of the De Garmo effectiveness index showed that treatment combination A3B3 achieved the highest effectiveness value of 0.61 and was therefore designated as the best treatment. Characterization of sample A3B3 revealed that scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis at 1000× magnification showed the formation of a three-dimensional protein network, although it was not yet fully developed. In addition, amino acid profile analysis showed that the surimi contained four types of amino acids in the highest concentrations: the nonessential amino acids glutamic acid (2.27%) and aspartic acid (1.77%), as well as the essential amino acids lysine (1.48%) and leucine (1.33%).