Introduction and Practice of the Impact of Adding Food Additives to Livestock Products at Junior High School 3 Malang, East Java

Food Additives (FA) or Food Ingredients (FI) are added to various food items for specific purposes, such as improving texture, enhancing flavor, enriching nutrition, preserving, and masking food spoilage. These food additives are added in appropriate quantities or weights. However, in society, there are still instances where food items are found to have inappropriate or unfit additions of food additives, such as the addition of borax in meatballs, formalin in chicken meat, textile dyes, and other thickeners.

On November 24, 2023, as part of the Community Service Program in collaboration with our partner, Junior High School 3 Malang, through the School Principal, Dra. Mutmainah Amini, M Pd, the Faculty of Animal Science (Fapet) of the Universitas Brawijaya, led by Dr. Dedes Amertaningtyas, S.Pt., MP, along with Prof. Djalal Rosyidi, Dr. Herly Evanuarini, and Dr. Ita Wahju Nursita, along with 5 Fapet UB students, namely Amalia Dzulhaj Mutia Kalle, Deo Rahmat Tri Wicaksono, Taufik Rachman Anshori, Riki Abdilah, and Sintiya, conducted an Information and Practice Program on the Impact of Adding Food Additives to Livestock Products for the female students of Junior High School 3 Malang, coinciding with the school’s regular activities for girls, with the guidance of teachers.

The objective of this program is to introduce and provide hands-on experience on the characteristics and impacts of adding food additives to livestock products. Processed livestock products that often have food additives added to them include meatballs, nuggets, sausages, honey, and dairy products such as milk candies, pasteurized milk, yogurt, kefir, and other processed livestock products.

The participants showed enthusiasm by actively answering questions after the presentation. The Fapet UB team demonstrated the food additives commonly added to livestock products and provided the participants with healthy meatballs that are free from formalin and borax. Before concluding the presentation, the participants practiced an easy method of testing the authenticity of honey with the guidance of the presenter. The outcome of this community service project is aimed at enhancing the knowledge and awareness of the female students in recognizing healthy processed livestock products without the addition of unauthorized or prohibited food additives. (tim/hfd)