<![CDATA[Meatballs are a very popular dish among indonesians. The quality of the meatballs depends heavily on the quality of the ingredients used in their preparation. The high protein content in meatballs creates an environment conducive to the growth of harmful microorganisms that can cause various diseases. Along with the threat of pathogenic bacterial contamination, food safety may also be undermined by the use of dangerous food additives like formalin, which is still found in some food products. This is the basis for conducting reserch by identifying and analyzing the presence of pathogenic bacteria and formalin content in beef meatballs sold in the vicinity of the UNM Parangtambung Campus. This research was conducted in February – March 2026. Meatball samples were taken from 3 different meatball sellers around the UNM Parangtambung campus. The place where the microbiological analysis and formalin content analysis were carried out was in the Biology Laboratory of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Makassar State University. Based on the test results, namely the TPC test, the MPN Escherichia coli test, the Salmonella sp. identification test, and the formalin kit test, the microbiological quality of the three beef meatball samples sold in the UNM Parangtambung campus environment did not meet food safety standards. Based on the test results, the microbiological quality of the three beef meatball samples sold in the UNM Parangtambung campus environment did not meet safety standarts. The MPN and EMBA tests indicated that every sample tested positive for Escherichia coli. Two of the three beef meatball samples sold in the UNM Parangtambung campus environment showed Salmonella sp. contamination in the SSA media and some of the beef meatballs sold in the UNM Parangtambung campus environment contained formalin.]]>
