DESIGN OF LPG GAS OVEN TECHNOLOGY AS AN EFFORT TO INCREASE SALTED FISH PRODUCTION IN SUMEDANG, INDONESIA

Processing salted fish is one of the traditional ways of preserving fish carried out by the community when the fish harvest is abundant. However, traditional processing of salted fish is not always hygienic and can cause health problems if not done properly. In this context, Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) gas ovens are a technology that can help increase the productivity of hygienic processing of salted fish. LPG gas oven is a drying oven that uses gas energy to dry fish. By using an LPG gas oven, drying fish can be done quickly and hygienically, thereby reducing fish spoilage and damage. This research succeeded in designing and assembling an LPG gas oven and providing technical training to the community in its use. This will help increase peoples knowledge and skills in using LPG gas ovens to dry and make salted fish hygienically. Using LPG gas ovens as a salted fish processing technology can be the best solution to overcome excess catches that have not been sold on the market and produce more hygienic salted fish production. Thus, LPG gas ovens can help increase the productivity and welfare of the community around the Jatigede Dam, Sumedang Regency, who depend on the fish catch from Lake Jatigede as their source of livelihood. Another advantage of processing salted fish using an LPG gas oven is that it overcomes the weakness of traditional drying, namely when it rains suddenly, causing the humidity in the fish to increase produces salted fish that is more hygienic, free from dust, and free from flies landing which will produce eggs, which is the cause of salted fish worming and becoming rotten and wasted and overcoming the storage process, where some traders actually store it in the refrigerator, which is limited in nature and in ultimately affects changes in the aroma and taste of the product after being processed/re-dried.