<![CDATA[Fish sticks are a snack food product in the form of dry crackers that have the potential to be developed as a source of animal protein through the addition of fish meat. Dencis fish (Sardinella longiceps) is a small pelagic species with high nutritional value; however, its utilization as a raw material for value-added processed products remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate consumer acceptance of fish sticks with different levels of dencis fish meat addition based on a hedonic test. The research employed an experimental method with four treatments: 0% (A1), 2% (B2), 3% (C3), and 4% (D4) fish meat addition. Hedonic testing was conducted by 30 untrained panelists aged 20–25 years to evaluate taste, aroma, color, and texture using a 9-point hedonic scale. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by the Mann–Whitney test at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05). The best formulation was determined using the Performance Index (Bayesian) method. The results showed that variations in fish meat addition significantly affected taste, aroma, and texture, but had no significant effect on color. Treatment C3 (3% dencis fish meat) achieved the highest mean hedonic scores across all parameters and ranked first based on the Bayesian analysis. The addition of fish meat at this level produced the best balance of flavor, characteristic fish aroma, and crispy texture preferred by the panelists. Therefore, the addition of 3% dencis fish meat is recommended as the optimal formulation for producing fish sticks with high nutritional value and good consumer acceptance.]]>
