FORMULATION AND NUTRITION OF BOBA TILAPIA FISH AND SEAWEED AS A GENERATION Z IMMUNE BOOST DRINK

Boba is a filling or topping for drinks (tea, coffee, milk, fruit juice) sweet (sugar, brown sugar, honey) in the form of balls (bubble) or pearls (pearl) with a chewy and bouncy texture (QQ) and color black. Boba is made from tapioca flour mixed with sugar and then formed into small spheres and then boiled and then mixed with drinks. Boba drinks contain lots of sugar, carbohydrates and are high in calories which can cause obesity and diabetes in generation Z who really like the current boba drink. The lack of nutritional value in boba can have a negative impact on the health of the younger generation, especially generation Z, who is currently between 10-25 years old, are still in their productive age and have high mobility. They need food and drink intake that not only tastes good, is practical in how to consume it, looks attractive, but also contains nutrients that can maintain health and boost immunity. Therefore, it is necessary to add boba material that contains high nutritional value which can increase the protein content of boba, namely fish meat. Fish meat that can be used as a mixture for making boba is tilapia meat. Tilapia meat is white, not fishy, tastes delicious, has a soft texture, is easily separated from the skin and bones, has a high yield, low fat, is relatively inexpensive and is readily available all the time. Tilapia meat added in the form of coarse flour to make it easier to blend with other ingredients when making boba dough. In addition to adding tilapia meat, boba drink also needs to be added to seaweed as a source of fiber and its high antioxidant content is very good for counteracting free radicals. Seaweed which is added in the form of coarse gruel is intended to give a textural sensation to the resulting boba. There is not much research on boba, especially those that focus on the formulation and nutritional treatment of the resulting boba. It is important to formulate the addition of tilapia meat meal and seaweed pulp to produce the organoleptically preferred boba quality so that boba can be accepted by consumers and has better advantages than boba on the market in terms of its nutritional content, especially protein, fiber and high antioxidant content, can increase immunity, especially for gene Z. The aim of the study was to find out the best comparison formulation between tapioca flour, tilapia meat meal and seaweed pulp in the processing of tilapia seaweed boba in terms of proximate content, total sugar, elasticity, organoleptic, and TPC. The results showed that the resulting tilapia fish meal and seaweed slurry had good characteristics as raw materials for boba processing. Based on the test results on tilapia boba products with various comparisons of tapioca flour, tilapia fish meal and seaweed pulp, it was found that the best treatment was C1, the ratio of tapioca flour: tilapia fish flour: seaweed pulp = 37.5:12.5:50.