Heni Rachmawati
Catfish is a cheap source of omega-3 fatty acids. Each year a large amount of the total catch is discarded as processing waste including fins, bones, heads, skin and offal. Some by-products are utilized, but most are disposed of as waste, creating disposal and pollution problems. Most of the oil in catfish is found in the viscera, containing around 33% fat or other lipids which can be converted into oil that can be consumed. Raw fish oil contains small amounts of non-triglyceride substances. These impurities reduce the acceptability of fish oil by producing an unpleasant taste and odor and reducing its stability and shelf life so it needs to be purified. The main goal in refining fish oil is to remove components that are undesirable for further processing. Apart from refining, it is necessary to pollinate the oil to make it more practical and long lasting.
The proposed Community Service Program aims to develop techniques for changing the liquid form of oil to solid (granular) and its characterization. Apart from that, a catfish oil hobby movement program (GEGEMIL) will be carried out among children under five to help their growth and development and also increase their immune system. Fish oil supplementation has been proven for these purposes so it is hoped that catfish oil will produce the same results. The location for implementing the GEGEMIL program is the Jatinganor area (Cikeruh-Jantinangor Village, Sumedang, West Java) and its surroundings. To ensure the success of this program, regular supplementation monitoring has been carried out for 4 months and its positive impact.
Developing granular catfish oil as a practical fish oil raw material to support the diversification of fish oil products. Carry out physicochemical characterization of fish oil granules. Developing a product prototype based on granular catfish oil. Carrying out a catfish oil supplementation movement program to improve the growth and development of children under five in the Jatinangor area and surrounding areas. Regular monitoring of the catfish oil supplementation movement program for toddlers in Jatinangor and surrounding areas.
ITB made a real contribution to providing a solution to the stunting problem in one of the villages in West Java. Creating good coordination and cooperation between ITB (activity implementers) and village officials, especially posyandu cadres.