Physical-Chemical Assessment Freshness of Skipjack Fish (Katsuwonus pelamis) Marketed in the Capture Area of South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The catches of skipjack fish are one of the highest catches of fish in the area of South Sulawesi including the West Coast fish landing areas in Makassar, Pare-Pare, and the East Coast in Sinjai, and Palopo. Fish landed by fishers are then marketed to traditional markets. The purpose of this study was to analyze the physical-chemical quality of skipjack fish landed in the area of South Sulawesi until it was marketed for eight hours. In this study, the physical-chemical analysis measured to determine fish quality was temperature, pH, organoleptic, peroxide number, and TVB. The overall results showed that there was a decrease in the quality of skipjack fish due to an increase in temperature of 3-4 oC, a decrease in pH reaching 5.0-5.7, an increase in the peroxide number of 25.3-27.3 mEq/g and an increase in TVB 9.3-12.0 mg/100, and a decrease organoleptic value 5.9-6.3 at the end of the sale. Even so, fresh skipjack is still categorized as suitable for consumption and sale. From this study, it is recommended to improve the handling process by using a proper container and adjusting the amount of ice to maintain the temperature during the sales process.