Abstract
The objective of this study was to develop a new fish cracker recipe in order to improve product qualities by substituting the fish meat with surimi (Nemiterus hexodon) and replacing cassava starch with pumpkin for having higher nutritional values. Fish cracker from surimi consisted of the following ingredients: surimi (58.0%), cassava starch (38.0%), salt (2.0%), sugar (1.5%), MSG (0.5%). For the replacement formula, cassava starch and pumpkin were incorporated in difference ratios (93:7, 89:11, 85:15, 81:19 and 77:23 %w/w). The sensory evaluation tests showed that the most acceptable formulations of the cracker were obtained using 85%cassava starch and 15%pumpkin combinations. Hardness, crispness and swelling ratio increased with increasing of pumpkin. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the internal structure of cracker were significantly affected by the amount of pumpkin. Increase of the addition of pumpkin up to 15% result the formation of smaller air cells and thicker pore walls. The chemical compositions of the cracker including, moisture, protein, fat, ash and carbohydrate content were 2.00%, 11.82%, 35.34%, 3.00% and 47.84% respectively. The scores obtained in the consumer test (5 point hedonic scale) were: color (4.35), odor (4.23), taste (4.56), crispness (4.65) and overall preference (4.60). This research showed that the product can be extended to commercial production.
