IDENTIFICATION OF FORMALDEHYDE IN PROCESSED MEAT AT THE TRADITIONAL MARKET OF MEDAN CITY USING UV-VIS SPECTROPHOTOMETRY METHOD

Abstract

Processed meat is a ready-to-eat food that is very popular, so many food producers are competing to produce food that is in great demand by the public, especially among children. Nugget is one of the processed meat products made from ground beef that requires preservatives in it so that it can last for a long time. Nuggets are widely consumed because they have an interesting taste and texture. Formaldehyde is a preservative that is prohibited from being used as a food preservative because it can cause cancer in humans, but formaldehyde is widely used by the public as a preservative without knowing the dangers of formaldehyde itself. This study was conducted to determine the level of formaldehyde contained in processed meat circulating in the traditional market of Medan City. This research is a descriptive study using UV-VIS spectrophotometry method measured at a wavelength of 585 nm with operating time at 29 minutes and 30 minutes using Schiff reagent. The results of the analysis showed that the levels of formaldehyde contained in some processed meat circulating in the traditional market had levels (0.3050 ± 0.0241 g/g) and (0.6543 ± 3.2353 g/g). From the results of the study, it can be concluded that some processed meats circulating in traditional markets contain formaldehyde.