TESTING OF PROTEIN CONTENT, WATER CONTENT AND ORGANOLEPTIC QUALITY OF BLOOD SEA CUCUMBER (Holothuria Edulis) WITH DIFFERENT OVENING TEMPERATURES

Abstract

Sea cucumber is one of the marine organisms with high economic value, often used as food and in traditional medicine. Sea cucumbers are marine animals that are easily damaged, so they require post-harvest processing to extend their shelf life. One preservation method commonly used is drying. This study aims to determine the moisture content, protein content, and organoleptic quality of dried blood sea cucumber (Holothuria edulis) at different oven temperatures. The research used a descriptive quantitative approach with oven drying at five temperature treatments: P1 (50°C), P2 (60°C), P3 (70°C), P4 (80°C), and P5 (90°C), with each treatment replicated three times. The parameters observed included moisture content, protein content, and organoleptic tests of appearance, aroma, and texture by 25 untrained panelists. The collected data were analyzed by calculating the average value for each testing parameter. The results revealed that increasing the oven temperature consistently reduced the moisture content, reaching a range of 1.44% to 1.10%, and increased the protein content from 12.06% to 17.63%. The organoleptic evaluation indicated that a temperature of 90°C produced the highest scores for appearance, aroma, and texture. Overall, the treatment using a drying temperature of 90°C (P5) provided the highest values for all tested parameters and is recommended as the best treatment in the processing of dried blood sea cucumber to obtain good physical quality, protein content, and moisture content.