Reduce Fishy Smell in Ducks, IPB University Students Use Apu Wood
Ducks are one of the livestock commodities that are quite well known in Indonesia. The high fat content at the bottom of the skin causes a fishy odor, so the demand for duck meat is low. Three IPB University students, namely Binda Octa Rosa Pramesty and Evri Choiriyah Al Firdaus from the Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Lelli Hapsari Romadhoni from the Department of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, conducted research to reduce the fat content in ducks fed the name of the dietary water plant.
Binda as the Group Chair explained the fat content of eight-week-old duck thigh meat was around 8.47 percent while the fat content in six-week-old broiler thigh meat ranged from 6.54 percent. High saturated fats will also cause high cholesterol content and cause fishy odor, which will affect consumer demand which is low.
Therefore the research team of the 2019 Research Creativity Program (PKMPE) made a breakthrough in food to reduce the fat content. "The dietary water plant is a ration added with aquatic plants, namely apu wood. We use these water plants mixed into commercial feed that is often used by the community. The commercial feed we use is BR-11 commercial feed," he said.
Ducks can digest foods that are high in fiber when compared to chicken. Apu wood is a water plant that is often considered to be a weed and has no economic value. Apu wood has a high fiber content which is expected to bind cholesterol to duck meat.
"Apu wood can also breed quickly and continuously so that it will not experience shortages and will not compete with humans. The most important thing is that the wood is preferred by waterfowl," he said.
Currently the research guided by Dr. Ir Widya Hermana M.Sc is at the stage of determining the dose of addition of apu wood which is effective for reducing levels of fat and cholesterol in duck meat.
"The virtue of this study is to produce duck meat that is low in fat and cholesterol but does not reduce the distinctive taste that exists. In addition, so that the apu wood plants which are initially considered aquatic weeds and do not have economic value can be utilized properly," he said. (NR)
