TESTING TOTAL PLATE COUNT OF CATFISH MEATBALL

Fishery products are products that have high protein content and environmental conditions that are very suitable for the growth of spoilage microbes. Fish ball is one of the diversified fishery products that is favored by the community, so it is necessary to test its microbial content for food safety. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety of consumption of catfish meatballs based on the results of the Total Plate Count (TPC) test. The research was conducted at the Fishery Processing Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Padjadjaran. Samples of catfish meatball based on purposive method, tested with total plate count (TPC) agar with pour plate method. The TPC of each samples were examined two times. The results showed that there are differences in the number of bacteria before and after the process of making catfish meatballs. The number of bacteria before the meatball processing process are in fresh catfish is 4,5 x 103 CFU/g and on the catfish meatball dough 2,8 x 104 CFU/g. The number of bacteria after catfish meatball processing, in class A meatballs 5,8 x 103 CFU/g, class B 3,4 x 103 CFU/g and class C 3,2 x 103 CFU/g The result of testing total plate count, all samples was under maximum of SNI 5 × 104CFU/g. Conclusion of the research is catfish meatballs based on the Indonesian National Standard are safe for consumption.