IDENTIFIKASI KANDUNGAN BORAKS PADA BAKSO DENGAN METODE KUNYIT DAN DAMPAK NEGATIF TERHADAP KESEHATAN ORGAN HATI

Abstract

Backgroud. Meatballs are foods that are much favored by the public and are traded by traders in markets, schools, roadside, and anywhere. Dishonest producers often replace the chewy composition of meatballs with borax, with the aim that the meatballs they sell are still delicious and don't go stale. The lack of consumer awareness of the feasibility of the food they buy, makes producers free to sell their meatballs. This makes the authors interested in examining how to identify the borax content in meatballs using turmeric extract and the negative impact that occurs on the liver. 

Problems and Research Method. Based on this background, the problem formulation is (1) How to identify borax content in meatballs using turmeric? (2) What is the negative impact of borax on liver health? Type of research carried out is laboratory tests. There are 2 sources of data used, namely primary data sources obtained from research results, while secondary data sources obtained from scientific journals.

Theoretical Basics. Borax is a chemical compound in the form of odorless, colorless, salty and alkaline crystals. Borax has the chemical formula Na₂B₄O_7.H₂O. Borax is prohibited from being used in food, both in small and large doses. The use of borax in food is an alternative for dishonest food manufacturers, they replace the composition of Sodium Tripoli Phosphate with borax. One of the foods that are often mixed with borax is meatballs. 

Meatballs are a type of food that is processed from meat, flour, and other spice ingredients. Meatballs mixed with borax have a very different physical appearance from meatballs without borax. This should make it easier for consumers to choose the food they buy, apart from looking at the physical appearance of the meatballs, there is another easy way to identify the borax content in meatballs, namely using turmeric extract. 

Turmeric contains curcumin compounds. Curcumin is a substance that can detect the presence of borax in food. Curcumin is able to decompose borax bonds into boric acid by binding it into a rose color complex (rosacyanin) or commonly called a boron cyano curcumin complex.  Borax contained in food, and we consume it regularly can cause damage to the function of the body's organs. The liver is one of the organs of the body that will be severely damaged by borax. The liver as a detoxification organ plays a role in protecting the body from various toxins and foreign objects that enter the body. This detoxification ability is very limited, so not all toxic substances can be completely detoxified. Toxic substances that are not detoxified properly will cause hepatocyte damage. This is because these substances will degenerate (build up) and poison body cells because they cannot be excreted through excretion. The volume of the liver will increase over time and there will be inflammation of the liver or Liver Fibrosis. 

Research Results. Research conducted on 6 samples of meatballs, showed the following results; 4 of 6 samples showed negative results, negative results were indicated by the absence of a color change reaction in the meatballs. While 2 of the 6 samples showed positive results, positive results were indicated by a change in the color of the meatballs, the color change that occurred from yellow to brownish red. These results prove that the 2 samples of meatballs that reacted positively contained borax and were not safe for consumption.