The Impact of Seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) Fortification and Frozen Storage Conditions on the Chemical Composition of Tuna (Thunnus albacare) Sandwich

Tuna is an Indonesian fishery product that is one of the country's primary foreign exchange producers. This research aimed to determine the optimal addition of Eucheuma cattonii seaweed and duration of storage at -18oC. (2) The second factor is storage duration at -18oC, with three levels: B1: 0 days (control), B2: 10 days, and B3: 20 days. In the proximate test, the water content, protein content, and lipid content were observed. The analysis of data was performed using SPSS version 12. The addition of 20% seaweed with a 20-day storage period yielded the lowest water content, as determined by the results. The maximum water content was found in the 10% seaweed addition treatment. The addition of 30% seaweed and storage for 20 days resulted in the lowest protein content, while the addition of 10% seaweed and storage for 0 days resulted in the highest protein content. The average fat content ranged from 0.7% to 1.14 %, indicating that the maximum fat content of the sandwich product was obtained by storing it at -18°C for 20 days with 10% seaweed. While the treatment of 30% seaweed with extended storage at -18°C or the control had the lowest fat content. The results of the analysis of the effect of adding seaweed and storage time at -18°C on tuna sandwiches indicate that the combination of treatment with the addition of 30% seaweed and storage at -18°C for 20 days can maintain the nutritional value of sandwich products. The tuna sticks with the greatest score on the proximity test.