DEVELOPMENT OF MICROCONTROLLER-BASED QUALITY DETERMINATION OF “GALUNGGONG”

THROUGH FORMALIN DETECTION.

I. Background of the study

One of the most consumed food in the world is fish. It is also a good source of protein and other nutrients that is
essential for a human growth.

In Philippines fish distribution is being monitored by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, they have guidelines to follow
for the transportation and distribution of fish in the market. The quality of the fish that is being sold in the market should be
observed for the safety of the consumers. FDA ensures the quality of the fish that is being sold. They conduct physical and
microbiological (such as CH2O or formaldehyde) examination to the imported products. Past research says that “Ingestion of as
little as 30 mL (1 oz.) of a solution containing 37% formaldehyde has been reported to cause death in an adult. Ingestion may
cause corrosive injury to the gastrointestinal mucosa, with nausea, vomiting, pain, bleeding, and perforation.” [3].

A sample of the product will be collected randomly to be tested. The quality of the product should meet the quality
requirements.

II. Problem statement and objectives

Due to importation of fish in the market, there are some cases that doesn’t meet the requirements of FDA in ensuring
the quality of the imported product since the testing of samples is being held randomly.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has allayed speculations that formalin-tainted round scad
or galunggong is being sold in local markets. BFAR said that the laboratory analysis showed "low levels of formaldehyde" but
added that the chemical compound "naturally develops when the fish dies." BFAR assured the public that it will continue doing
rounds in the country's markets to ensure that fish sold are safe for human consumption. "The public is assured that in
collaboration with other concerned government agencies, the DA-BFAR will continue to remain vigilant in ensuring that all fish
commodities that are sold in the markets, either locally sourced or imported, are safe and free from any harmful substances," it
said. [1]

Development of a microprocessor-based device that will measure the formalin content and life span of the round scad
or “galunggong” and will determine whether the fish is fresh or putrescent at the same time.

III. Theoretical Framework

Image and CH2O gas are the two input parameters that will be used in the system. By the use of image processing, a
camera will be used to capture the physical appearance of the fish. On the other hand, the CH 2O gas sensor will determine the
formalin or formaldehyde content of the fish.

These two parameters will be processed in the microprocessor and will be compared to the gathered data, to see if the
fish that is being tested have passed and met the quality requirements. The output of the tests will be shown on the LCD. The
LCD will display the quality of the fish (fresh or bilasa) and the formalin percentage present on the fish and how long it will be
fresh.
IV. Conceptual Framework

Input Process Output

Image Microprocessor LCD

CH2O gas

V. Hypothesis (if applicable)

device? will help the sellers and consumers due to the manual and physical checking of round scad or “galunggong”.

This system will automatically determine whether the fish is fresh or putrescent and will measure its formalin content. It will

provide a quicker and more accurate data regarding the lifespan and condition of the round scad.

VI. Overview of Literature

Image processing-based method to assess fish quality and freshness

The quality of a fish may be affected primarily by handling, processing and storage procedures from the catch to
consumers. Retention time and storage temperature of post-harvested fish are key factors for sustaining the final quality of this
product. This paper proposes an image processing method which is completely automatic, efficient and non-destructive for
segmentation of tissues and prediction of freshness of the fish sample. The gill tissues of the fish sample are automatically
segmented using a clustering-based method and its features are strategically extracted in the wavelet transformation domain using
Haar filter. First, second and third level decomposition in the wavelet domain is performed and the coefficients obtained at each
level have been analyzed to predict the freshness of the fish sample. The experimental results indicate a monotonic variation
pattern of the coefficients at the third level of decomposition and these coefficients gives an indication of the quality of the fish.
This discriminatory variation in the image features with the duration of retention time provides a strategic framework for
assessment of fish freshness. [2]

VI. Future works

The possible future works or improvements for this project are:

 Can be used to different types of fish

 May display all possible bacteria of the fish
VIII. References

[1] https://www.rappler.com/business/210222-galunggong-imports-no-formalin

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0260877415300881

[3] https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mmg/mmg.asp?id=216&tid=39