Chemical Properties and Effect of Three Different Packaging on Stability of ‘Sambal Pijat’

‘Sambal pijat‟ is one of unique dish which consist of pepijat tree‟ rhizomes and bird‟s eye chillies. At the present time, this dish can only been found in Jeli, Kelantan. It helps to generate income sources for some retailers in this district. However, "sambal pijat‟
has a shorter shelf life as it only remains stable for 2 weeks at ambient temperature. The inappropriate packaging conditions have become one the main factors which reduce the
product shelf life. This situation has restricted the trade activities in ensuring the sustainability of „sambal pijat‟. Currently, there are no studies regarding chemical
analysis of „sambal pijat‟. This project proposed to study the chemical properties and identify the effect of different packaging conditions on stability of this dish. Relatively
chemical analysis, physicochemical analysis and microbial test were conducted in determining the chemical properties, physicochemical and microbiological stability of
„sambal pijat‟ that stored in different packaging conditions. The physicochemical analysis involved colour analysis and determination of moisture content including pH
value. The analysis for microbiological stability also conducted to identify the total viable counts of microorganisms which indicate determination of total plate count. "Sambal pijat‟ showed a positive result with presence of protein and fat content. In addition, study revealed that packaging condition does affect the physicochemical
stability of "sambal pijat‟ during storage. Moreover, different packaging conditions also influence the total viable count of microbes within storage time. The findings of this current study help to provide scientific information about "sambal pijat‟.