INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 8, ISSUE 10, OCTOBER 2019 ISSN 2277-8616

Comparation Of Practicum Method For Junior

High School: Borax Test In Food Using Simple
And Scientific Method
Nanang Rahman, Agus Abhi Purwoko, Muntari, Haifaturrahmah

Abstract: The increasing need for food ingredients that can last a long time is a concern for food producers. Misuse of borax in the food industry still
occurs, such as: in the manufacture of wet noodles, tofu, meatballs, sausages, others. Though borax is a poisonous material and a dangerous material
for humans so it is strictly prohibited from being used as raw material for food. A simple identification method is needed for borax material in food, so
students can test the identification of borax in food easily. To test the validity of the simple method, the test results need to be compared with the
scientific method. Test results of borax content in foods using the simple method have been carried out in the Laboratory. Test results show that of the 12
samples tested there were 2 samples that positively contained borax. The results of the flame method which is a scientific method for testing the content
of borax shows the same results as the simple method. This research was also conducted to determine the effect of practical learning with simple and
scientific methods on the formation of environmental awereness characters by using two different classes. The research design uses quasi-experimental
methods with Nonequivalent Control-Group Design. Based on the results of the study showed that students who are taught Borax test learning with the
simple method have a higher environmental awereness character compared to students who are taught using the scientific method.
.
Index Terms: practicum method, borax test, simple and scientific method
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1. INTRODUCTION difficult for students to do, therefore students must find a

Advances in food technology science in the world makes more
types of food ingredients produced and consumed in a form
that is more durable and practical compared to its fresh form.
The development of durable food products occurs because of
the increasing needs of urban communities for various types
of food that are practical and durable. Most packaged foods
contain additives, which is an ingredient that can preserve
food or change it with various techniques and methods. Food
additives are defined as ingredients added to food to influence
the typical conditions of food. Food additives can be
nutritionally valuable or may not contain nutritional value.
Currently the use of borax is still found in the food industry,
such as: in the manufacture of wet noodles, rice cake, ketupat,
tofu, meatballs, sausages, even in making soy sauce [1].
Though these chemicals are toxic and dangerous to humans
so it is strictly prohibited to be used as food. Every human will
not consume food that contains harmful substances. However,
not everyone knows how to detect the presence of borax in
food that is dangerous for health. The identification of borax in
these foods we can also feel the difference with foods that do
not use borax, but it is not absolute and only as an estimate.
Most people think that the identification of borax in food can
only be verified in the laboratory so that it requires expensive
costs, even though there are some simple ways that can be
done without having to do it in the laboratory. Food products
that use dangerous preservatives in the community, especially
in the environment of the Junior High School need special
attention. Junior High School must be careful in choosing
foods to be consumed so as not to consume foods that contain
harmful preservatives. Foods that are often added harmful
preservatives by irresponsible manufacturers are meatballs
that contain borax [2]. The method used to find out that the
food contains borax is by chemical means, but this method is
————————————————
 Nanang Rahman, Muhammadiyah Mataram University ,Indonesia,
PH-081917111987. E-mail: nangrhm87@gmail.com
 Haifaturrahmah, Muhammadiyah Mataram University ,Indonesia,
PH.082340395040, E-mail: haifaturrahmah@yahoo.com
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simple and easy way to do it. The identification and testing
effort is expected to be beneficial for students to be able to
make choices on healthy foods. The process of identifying
borax in food will be done by two methods, namely scientific
vs simple methods. scientific method is an identification
method carried out in the laboratory using chemicals. The
results of this identification will be compared with the results of
identification using the simple method. In the simple method,
the material used for the identification process uses natural
materials that are easily obtained from the surrounding
environment and do not have to be done in a laboratory. In
addition, the simple method can be done at home with existing
equipment at home. There are several methods that have
been used to test the presence of borax. In 1904 developed a
method for testing boric acid with glycerine, then titrated with
potassium hydroxide. There are three methods known for
determining detailed boric acid in food, namely the titrimetric
method using mannitol, and two colorimetric procedures using
carminic acid or curcumin. Colorimetric procedures with the
curcumin method is found to be the most reliable and
therefore will be the method of choice for the determination of
boric acid in food [3]. Another method is fast quantitative
analysis of boric acid by gas chromatography - mass
spectrometry coupled with a simple and selective
derivatization reaction using triethanolamine [4]. The methods
for testing borax described above are expensive and they are
less feasible for classroom instruction, in particular to be
implemented for junior high school. Alternative method used
for borax testing is to use natural materials that are around the
environment, especially the use of natural ingredients from
flowers [5].
2. METHOD
The process of identifying borax in food will be done by two
methods, namely scientific vs simple methods. scientific
method is an identification method carried out in the
laboratory using chemicals. The results of this identification
will be compared with the results of identification using the
simple method. In the simple method, the material used for
the identification process uses natural materials that are
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easily obtained from the surrounding environment and do not TABLE 1

have to be done in a laboratory. In addition, the simple FOOD SAMPLE TEST RESULTS
method can be done at home with existing equipment at Material Scientif Simple Method (Drop test)
home. The scientific method of borax test by using the flame No Name method Ruellia Plumeria Portulaca
test method to be carried out for the identification of borax (Flame Simplex Rubra Grandiflora
uses the following tools: petri dishes, tweezers, lighter, test )
furnace, measuring pipette, dropper pipette, mortar and 1 Noodles A - - - -
grinding and stove. While the materials used are as follows: 2 Noodles B - - - -
3 Noodles C + + + +
H2SO4, methanol, saturated lime water and litmus paper [6].
4 Meatballs A - - - -
The way of flame test works as follows: 5 Meatballs B + + + +
a. Prepare tools and ingredients. 6 Meatballs B - - - -
b. Mash the sample until smooth with a mortar, then weigh 7 Sausages A - - - -
the sample as much as ± 3 grams of the sample. 8 Sausages B - - - -
c. Put it in a petri dish, and adjust the pH by adding 9 Sausages C - - - -
saturated lime until the atmosphere becomes acidic, 10 Tofu A - - - -
measured with litmus paper. 11 Tofu B - - - -
12 Tofu C - - - -
d. After the acid, then put the petri dish into the furnace.
e. Add 5 ml of concentrated H2SO4, stir until homogeneous
until the solution becomes acidic (blue litmus becomes Based on the results of food tests that have been carried out,
red), add 10 ml of Methanol then turn it on. If the flame is that there are two food samples containing borax, namely
green, it is stated that there is boric acid and borax noodle C and meatballs B. The test results are positive using
scientific and simple methods. The following is the picture of
Whereas the simple method for the identification of borax can the results of the trial of the extractive ingredient noodle C
be done with natural indicators using a drop test. The natural extract containing borax as follows by using the test drops.
indicators used are Ruellia Simplex, Plumeria Rubra, and
Portulaca Grandiflora flower extracts. The steps in the test
drops for borax are as follows:
a. Weigh 2 grams of natural indicator ingredients, then cut
into small pieces
b. Grind natural indicators by using mortals
c. Add 5 ml of distilled water to the crushed indicator
d. Separate the filtrate with the indicator residue
e. Take 5 drops of indicator filtrate then add 5 drops of borax
solution
f. Observe the color changes that occur
To test the level of the formation of environmentally friendly
characters in students after conducting a borax test practicum
with a simple and scientific method, six (6) junior high schools
in West Nusa Tenggara province were used. In every school
two classes are used, one class is taught using scientific Fig. 1. Test results with the simple method
methods practicum and the other class is taught using simple
methods. For the formation of environmental awereness To determine the effect of the borax test with a simple vs
characters measured using questionnaires and observation scientific method on the formation of student character, a trial
sheets. The results of the questionnaire measurements and was conducted at six schools in the province of West Nusa
the observation sheet of the formation of environmental Tenggara. Data from observations observing character
awereness characters were compared between classes using formation in the learning process with borax test practicum
learning with the practicum of the Borax test with the simple through simple and scientific methods and questionnaire
method vs. scientific method. results data are given as follows.

3. RESULT AND DISCUSION

Trials of borak content in food were carried out in six schools
in the province of West Nusa Tenggara. The schools used are
in the city of Mataram, West Lombok and Central Lombok.
Each city is used by two schools as a sample in the test of the
content of borax in food that is around the school environment.
The food tested consisted of four types, namely noodles,
meatballs, sausages and tofu. Food test results that have
been carried out as follows.

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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 8, ISSUE 10, OCTOBER 2019
Fig. 2. Comparison of observations and questionnaires with
simple vs scientific method
Based on a comparison of classroom average charts on
observations and questionnaires for the formation of
environmentally friendly characters, it appears that students
who are taught with practicum using simple methods are better
in character than students who are taught using scientific
methods. This is because students think that the use of flower
indicator materials to test borax comes from natural materials
so that their use is safe for humans and the environment. The
use of natural ingredients for borak testing is easier and
cheaper so that it can be carried out anytime and anywhere.
While the use of scientific methods to recruit students is more
difficult to do and requires quite a long time. The use of
synthetic chemicals in tests with scientific methods is also
considered to damage the environment. Different test results
for the formation of student characters using the t-test as
follows.
Fig. 3. t-test results for the formation of environmental
awerenes characters
Based on the results of t-tests that have been carried out, it
appears that there are differences in the influence of the
formation of environmental care characters that are pursued
by simple and scientific methods.
4. CONCLUSION
Based on the results of testing the identification of some foods
in junior high school in the province of West Nusa Tenggara
found 2 of the samples tested contained borax. The test
results are positive using simple and scientific methods. The
use of practical instructions with the simple method is more in
demand by students because it is easier to do and easy to get
test drops. While the use of scientific methods according to
students is more difficult and requires a long time and
materials that are difficult to obtain. Based on observations
IJSTR©2019
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ISSN 2277-8616
and questionnaires given to students, information is obtained
that the use of simple methods is better in shaping the
character of environment awereness than the scientific
method.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research is a collaborative research between University
of Muhammadiyah Mataram and University of Mataram. This
research is fully funded by the Ministry of Research,
Technology and Higher Education Republic of Indonesia.
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