Pengaruh Transesterifikasi Minyak Kepala Ikan Tuna (Thunnus Albacares) Menggunakan Pereaksi Metanol dan Etanol

Transesterification Fatty acids Tuna (Thunnus albacares) Research on the effect of the transesterification method of tuna fish head oil (Thunnus albacares) using methanol and ethanol reagent has been carried out. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of methanol and ethanol reagents on the transesterification process. The research methodology used in the transesterification of tuna fish oil (Thunnus albacares) is by using two alkyl source reactants, namely methanol and ethanol where the fatty acid alkyl esters were analyzed by gas chromatography. Transesterification using methanol reagent was carried out with BF3 acid catalyst and ethanol reagent was carried out with alkaline NaOH and KOH catalysts. The results showed that the main fatty acid content in fish oil in tuna's head was DHA, palmitate and linoleic. Transesterification of fish oil using acid (BF3 and methanol) and alkaline (NaOH and ethanol) methods resulted in the slightly different of fatty acid composition. DHA fatty acid has the highest content in ethanol reagent with KOH catalyst, namely (33.55%). Palmitic fatty acid (23.09%) was higher in the ethanol reagent with NaOH catalyst. And linolelaidic fatty acid was higher in transesterification using methanol reagent with BF3 catalyst, namely (20.98%).