Edukasi Dini Bahaya Formalin Dalam Bahan Pangan Beserta Cara Deteksinya Secara Sederhana Di SMP Negeri 1 Ngunut Tulungagung

ABSTRAK Formaldehyde atau biasa dikenal dengan formalin, merupakan bahan kimia yang digunakan pada proses industri dan bukan merupakan tambahan pada bahan makanan. Namun, formalin seringkali disalahgunakan fungsinya, yakni digunakan sebagai bahan tambahan untuk mengawetkan bahan pangan. Bahan pangan berformalin banyak beredar di pasaran. Formalin diketahui memiliki dampak negatif apabila dikonsumsi. Berdasarkan hal tersebut, maka perlu dilakukan adanya edukasi dini dan cara deteksi secara sederhana kandungan formalin pada para siswa-siswi SMP negeri 1 Ngunut, sebagai generasi penerus bangsa agar mengetahui dampak dan bahaya dari penggunaan formalin pada bahan pangan. Sehingga, dapat meningkatkan kualitas kesehatan para siswa pada sekarang dan masa depan. Program edukasi dilakukan dengan cara membagikan video demonstrasi pengujian formalin pada bahan pangan dengan kalium permanganat dan menggunakan bahan alam bunga Ruella. Pengarahan dilakukan secara online dikarenakan sekolah dilakukan secara daring dan adanya pembatasan perkumpulan kelompok selama pandemi. Evaluasi keberhasilan program dinilai menggunakan kuesioner yang dibagikan pada para siswa. Berdasarkan hasil evaluasi kuesioner dapat diketahui bahwa, program tergolong berhasil. Hal tersebut dapat diketahui dari hasil kuesioner bahwa terdapat peningkatan pemahaman siswa mengenai bahaya formalin dan cara deteksi secara sederhana. Kata Kunci: Formaldehyde, deteksi sederhana, siswa SMP negeri 1 Ngunut ABSTRACT Formaldehyde which is known as formalin is a chemical used in the industrial process. However, its function is often misused as an additive to preserve food. Food that contained formalin is widely circulating in the market. Formalin is known to have negative effects when consumed. Based on the condition, it is necessary to conduct an early education and demonstrate a simple detection of formaldehyde contained food. Early education was targeted to SMP Negeri 1 Ngunut students, as the nation’s next generation to know the negative effects of formalin usages in food. So, it can improve the quality of health of students now and in the future. The education program was conducted by distributed demonstration videos of formaldehyde testing on food samples with potassium permanganate and used natural products from Ruella flower extract. The program was done online because schools were conducted online and there were restrictions on group gatherings during the pandemic. Program evaluation success was assessed using a questionnaire distributed to the students. Based on the result of the questionnaire evaluation, it can be seen that the program is categorized as successful. There was an increase in students' understanding of formaldehyde dangers and simple detection methods to detect formaldehyde contains in food. Keywords: Formaldehyde, simple detection methods, SMP negeri 1 Ngunut student