Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Betok Fish (Anabas testudineus) from Swamp Water in South Sumatera, Indonesia

Betok (Anabas testudineus) is one of freshwater fish species locally of Indonesia. It has economic value and potential to be developed as a source of protein. The aimed of this research was to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of the Betok fish from the swamp waters in South Sumatera. This research used descriptive method. Fish samples were taken from four locations of swamp water in South Sumatera (Palembang, Banyuasin, Ogan Komering Ilir, and Musi Banyuasin). The result showed that Betok fish from swamp water of South Sumatera had total length 10.0 to 11.5 cm. Length, width, and weight of Betok fish were 8.0 to 9.0 cm, 3.0 to 4.0 cm, and 23.08 to 30.93 g, respectively. The Betok fish had dark color. The chemical characteristics of Betok fish were 66.18 to 74.98% of moisture content, 5.08 to 6.79% of ash, 11.22 to 19.46% of protein, 0.82 to 3.48% of fat, and 1.03 to 12.05% of carbohydrate. The dominant amino acids of Betok fish were glutamic acid and glycine, while the dominant fatty acids were oleic acid and palmitic acid. Heavy metals content of Betok fish from swamp water of South Sumatra was still below the maximum level.