Evaluation of the Quality of Fishballs Using Several Types of Preservatives During Early Frozen Storage

Abstract
| Fishballs are processed food products with high water content and are easily damaged. The addition of several types of preservatives can be used as an effort to extend the shelf life of fishballs. This study aimed to study the quality of fishballs using several preservatives following fish standards during early frozen storage. A completely randomized design with four treatments and four replications was used in this experiment to create 16 experimental units. The treatments in this study were the addition of several types of preservatives with different concentrations, namely without the addition of preservatives (P1), the addition of 0.3% sodium nitrite (P2), 2.5% chitosan (P3), and 0.6% bacteriocin (P4). All samples were stored at freezing temperatures for 30 days. Data were analyzed statistically using analysis of variance, and differences between treatments were analyzed using DNMRT at the 5% level. The results showed that the application of various preservatives might impact the quality of fishballs during the first 30 days of frozen storage. Even though the chemical and sensory parameters of fish meatballs without preservatives that were kept at freezing temperatures showed the count of microorganisms that had exceeded the quality standard on the early 30th day, they were still comparable to those preserved with nitrite, chitosan, and bacteriocin preservatives. Based on sensory evaluation, the fishballs for all treatments had a smooth surface, were slightly hollow and bright, tasted delicious and had somewhat product-specific flavor, and had a dense, compact, and slightly chewy texture.