<![CDATA[Penja fish (Sicyopterus pugnans) is a local food resource closely associated with food consumption in West Sulawesi. Processing penja fish into a sambal formulated with Mandar oil represents a form of food diversification that combines a local fishery resource with a traditional regional oil. This study aimed to identify the initial characteristics of penja fish sambal based on Mandar oil through physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory observations. Four formulations were evaluated: M0 as the control containing 200 mL vegetable oil, M1 containing 200 mL Mandar oil, M2 containing 150 mL Mandar oil, and M3 containing 100 mL Mandar oil. Physicochemical parameters included moisture content, pH, fat content, acid value, and initial peroxide value. Microbiological characteristics included Total Plate Count, molds and yeasts, and coliforms, while sensory characteristics included color, aroma, taste, texture, and overall acceptance. Moisture content ranged from 34.03–34.81%, pH from 3.89–4.52, and fat content from 23.76–33.65%. Acid value ranged from 1.122–1.459 mg KOH/g and initial peroxide value from 1.1–1.9 mEq/kg. Total Plate Count and molds and yeasts were <1.0×10¹ CFU/g in all treatments, while coliforms were <3 APM/g. Sensory scores ranged from 4.53–5.07 for color, 4.70–5.23 for aroma, 3.90–4.63 for taste, 4.57–4.90 for texture, and 4.73–5.03 for overall acceptance on a 1–7 scale. M3 achieved the highest overall acceptance score of 5.03. These initial characteristics indicate that the formulation containing 100 mL Mandar oil provides a promising combination of initial quality and sensory acceptance for further development of penja fish sambal. Keywords: Mandar oil, microbiological quality, penja fish, physicochemical characteristics, sambal]]>
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