ENHANCING FUNCTIONAL FERMENTED DENDENG (INDONESIAN JERKY) WITH MORINGA OLEIFERA: NUTRITIONAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL, AND SENSORY ASPECTS

Fermented chicken dendeng is a traditional dried meat product with improved nutritional and microbiological quality due to fermentation. This study evaluates the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Moringa oleifera supplementation on pH, titratable acidity (TA), bacterial count, and proximate composition. The pH values ranged from 4.09 to 4.62, with the lowest in the 6 % L. plantarum + 2.5 % M. oleifera treatment. Titratable acidity was the highest (1.47 %) in the 6 % L. plantarum group but decreased with M. oleifera addition. The highest bacterial count (6.535 log CFU/g) was observed in the 6 % L. plantarum + 5 % M. oleifera group, indicating probiotic activity. Proximate analysis shows that fermentation enhances quality. Protein content increased with M. oleifera, reaching 58.2 % in the 6 % L. plantarum + 5 % M. oleifera treatment. Fat content remained stable (8.6 % — 9.3 %), while ash content increased to 5.1 %. These findings suggest that fermented chicken dendeng with L. plantarum and optimal M. oleifera supplementation had improved microbial stability and protein retention. Further research is needed to assess storage stability and sensory attributes.