Traditional preparation and packaging practices of la union’s bagoong, a regional fermented fish product in the northwestern philippines

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY PAULINE TAVARA DAMASO TRADITIONAL PREPARATION, PACKAGING PRACTICES AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF LA UNION’S BAGOONG, A REGIONAL FERMENTED FISH PRODUCT IN THE NORTHWESTERN PHILIPPINES BACHELOR THESIS Study Mode: Full-time Major : Food Technology Faculty : International Program Office Batch : 2016-2020 Thai Nguyen, 25/11/2020 Thai Nguyen,2020 DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree Program Bachelor of Food Technology Student name Pauline Tavara Damaso Student ID DTN1554290045 Thesis Title Traditional Preparation and packaging practices of La Union’s Bagoong, A regional fermented fish product in the Northwestern Philippines Supervisor (s) Dr Nikki Dagamac (Philippines) Dr Vu Thi Hanh (Vietnam) Supervisor’s Signature Abstract: Although regional foods in the Philippines have recognized the authenticity and variety of various ethnic foods for the country, there are still limited sources of information about them just like in the popularly consumed condiment of the Ilocano people, a fermented fish product called bagoong The result of this paper helps to better understand the factors that come up to the unique regional distinction of bagoong by traditional practitioners and Ilocano people Ilocano participants were subjected to comprehensive observation and semi-structured interviews Data were transcribed and thematic analysis was performed to identify patterns of themes This study includes historical profiling of regional bagoong in terms of processing, gathering of raw materials, and the pre- and post-production process of the homemade makers, and small-scale manufacturers From the research, most of the makers of bagoong in Agoo, La Union were small-scale manufacturers which commonly processed in their house There are two types of bagoong in La Union which are bagoong sida and ii bagoong armang The bagoong sida is composed of different varieties of fish and bagoong armang is made up of krill The main ingredient used in making bagoong was mostly harvested by the small-scale fishermen of Agoo, La Union The small-scale manufacturers were following traditional methods of making bagoong and it was commercialized in the local market of Agoo Different types of packaging were used such as recycled containers, bottled glass, retailed plastics bags, buckets, and drums Moreover, nutritional components and potential risk of regional bagoong of manufacturers were also observed and documented Keywords Commercial foods, Fermentation, Food preservation, Food culture, Regional identity Number of pages: 61 pages Date of November 25, 2020 Submission: iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr.rer.nat Nikki Herherson Dagamac, for his unending support in conducting this research and sharing his wisdom I am very grateful for his friendly guidance, advises and encouraging words which became a big part of my writing process Thank you for the time and effort in spite of his hectic schedules Thanks for not giving up on me and giving me the chance, it was such a great honor Especial thanks to my Vietnamese adviser, Dr Vu Hanh for her assistance, advice and support regarding to my case Secondly, I sincerely gave thanks to Dr Stefanie Young Eriguel, Mayor of Agoo, La Union Philippines for allowing me to conduct my study To the barangay captains and to the 17 respondents who really contributed much to the success of my research To my close friends: Dicky, Ate Myra, Ate Rhona, Kuya Ponce, Luis, Alysza, Althea, Le and K49-AEP for their help, moral support, love, and always reminding me to be optimistic Thank you for the encouragement which helped me to get through in difficult times Special thanks to Ms Charmaine Carrera, Ms Dianne Rose Carrera and Mr Christian Dy for their thoughtful help and assistance during my interview I greatly appreciate all of your assistance If it was not because of them, I would have not been able to approach the respondents iv To my family, that served as an inspiration for me to stay strong It was a tough time, but I am really grateful for the priceless advises you have been giving me These people always helped me to keep my life in context Graduate school is not the most important thing in life, but good friends, good times and happiness are Above all else, I express my deepest gratitude to the ultimate Giver of Life, my Savior, the Almighty Father of the Heaven and Earth for guidance, strength and good health, in the mid of pandemic, in this journey It is solely because of the knowledge, wisdom and understanding He blessed me with wisdom that I was able to finish this research Glory to God Pauline Tavara Damaso v TABLE OF CONTENTS DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv LIST OF FIGURES viii LIST OF TABLE ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x PART I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research rationale 1.2 Significance of the study 1.3 Research questions and hypotheses 1.3.1 Research questions 1.3.2 Hypothesis 1.4 Research objectives 1.5 Scope and Limitations 1.6 Operational Definition PART II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 History of bagoong 2.2 Production of bagoong 2.3 Packaging practices 11 2.4 Nutritional Value of fermented fish 12 2.5 Fermented fish in the Philippines 14 III METHODOLOGY 18 3.1 Materials and Instruments 18 3.2 Research contents 18 3.3 Methodology 19 3.3.1 The research design 19 3.3.2 Interview 20 3.3.3 Respondents 20 3.3.4 Data Collection Process 21 3.4 Time and place of the study 21 3.5 Data Analysis 22 PART IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 24 4.1 Historical origins of bagoong 24 4.1 Types of regional fermented fish products in La Union 27 vi 4.2 Harvesting procedures of local small scale fishermen 30 4.3 Traditional methods of preparation of regional bagoong 33 4.4 Packaging of regional bagoong 37 4.5 Potential microbial and physical risk 38 4.6 Commercialization 42 4.7 Limitations in making regional bagoong 43 4.8 The nutritional component of bagoong 44 4.9 Discussion 46 PART V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 49 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Recommendations 49 REFERENCES 51 Appendix 1: 58 Appendix 2: 59 Appendix 3: 60 Appendix 4: 61 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure General Production of bagoong 10 Figure Conceptual Framework 18 Figure Location of the research area 22 Figure Distribution of fish sauce based on the research of Naomichi Ishige 25 Figure Anchovies 28 Figure Krill 29 Figure Municipal fishing boats 30 Figure Freshly caught fish 32 Figure The process of homemade bagoong fish using anchovies 34 Figure 10 Different types of packaging 37 Figure 11 The commercialize bagoong 42 viii LIST OF TABLE Table Summmary of Health Benefits of Fermented fish 45 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ℃- Degrees Celcius cm- centimeter CO2 - Carbon dioxide DHA- docosahexanoic acid FAO- Food and Agriculture Organization HACCP- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point LAB- Lactic acid bacteria MT- Metric Ton NaCl- Sodium Chloride QDA- Qualitative Data Analysis US- United States x anchovies and krill which harvested by the fishermen of Agoo, La Union The bagoong that is produced in La Union was made up by small scale producer and mostly by homemade maker The regional bagoong especially bagoong armang is seasonal since the harvesting season for the bagoong fishes starts from September until December The sellers of the local market acquire their product in Pangasinan, which is known for bagoong in the country, even after the town developed its regional bagoong The regional bagoong has its own story, including the history, pre and post-production process from the fisherman to the vendor The history of the bagoong is not fully known of the manufacturers, the knowledge of making bagoong are known from their ancestors and learned through observations The small scale manufacturers follow basic safety standards during processing of bagoong However, it is not enough since most of them not have any permit to operate so the business are just limited and not guaranteed that it is safe The packaging of the bagoong is mixed up of traditional way and common packaging The packaging of the homemade bagoong are usually delivered through drums and bucket covered with plastic And the vendors usually sold it by retailed plastic bag and for the bagoong that came from big manufacturer and nearby province placed in plastic pouch and bottled glass with a good labeling of their product Moreover, due to the lack of safety practices and observation of the researcher, the bagoong of Agoo, La Union, may have a potential risk in microbial and physical due to its lack of sanitary permit and hygienic practices during the processing of bagoong However, even the manufacturers not follow some safety protocol, there are no reported cases concerning health issue related to bagoong And lastly, from 47 the previous researches, fermented fish similar to bagoong, fish paste, have a health benefits in our health like anticariogenic activity 48 PART V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This section presents the summary of the present study Recommendations were drawn on the research findings as it aims to promote the regional bagoong in La Union, and the safety awareness of the product 5.1 Conclusion Bagoong is an integral part of the Ilocano community since traditionally it has been considered as a staple ingredient in most Ilocano cuisines Bagoong is served as an important side dish or a main dish, mostly the main additives and appetizer of most famous Ilocano dishes that depict the traditional identity of most Ilocano people Filipinos are proud of how great the food in every region Likewise, there is growing interest in knowing the origin as a measure of the integrity of their unique regional food It is with the hope that through this empirical study, the most important take-home message is presented in an international platform: the increase in the documentation of existing traditional and rich indigenous food culture in the Philippines is urgently needed by the country for the continuity of food knowledge and improvement of safety practices that many small scale regional food industries in the Philippines needs to uphold for the sake of food safety, cultural promotion and national identity 5.2 Recommendations Based on the results, four important recommendations were formulated that aims to promote the regional bagoong and its safety 49 Promotion on regional bagoong Most of the commercialized bagoong especially the bagoong sida were come from the nearby provinces We can promote it by introducing more the local bagoong to the market and improvement of the packaging so it will be appealing to the consumer and known that is locally made Moreover, more variety of the bagoong can also promote the local produced bagoong Safety awareness Most of the manufacturers of bagoong followed a basic standard of food safety such as washing their hands Moreover, the processes of making bagoong of the small scale manufacturer were processed in their house, where the environments are busy and unhygienic If hygienic practice is not strictly observed, fresh fish can be highly hazardous to health Thus, seminars to the manufacturers can help to increase the awareness of safety of the manufacturer Improvement of technology The making of bagoong is still practiced utilizing the traditional way Hence, a breakthrough in the technology can help the small scale manufacturers to increase their income and highquality standard of the product Support for the regional food In the Philippines, regional food has a very limited information Therefore, promoting the regional food is very helpful to recognize the region and also the rich food culture of the country The increased interest in traditional and regional food products is a reflection of new food-related tendencies and it is implied by the desire to exhibit behaviors and values resulting from cultural heritage (Lee,2011) 50 REFERENCES Aguilar, G.D (2004) Philippine fishing boats DA-BFAR (Department of AgricultureBureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) In Turbulent seas: The Status of Philippine Marine Fisheries, Coastal Resource Management Project of Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines 378p, pp.118-121 Alvarez, M A., & Moreno-Arribas, M V (2014) The problem of biogenic amines in fermented foods and the use of potential biogenic amine-degrading microorganisms as a solution Trends in Food Science & Technology, 39(2), 146-155 Anal, A.K., Perpetuini, G., Petchkongkaew, A., Tan, R., Avallone, S., Tofalo, R., Van Nguyen, H., Chu-Ky, S., Ho, P.H., Phan, T.T and Waché, Y (2020) Food safety risks in traditional fermented food from South-East Asia Food Control, 109, p.106922 Arquillano, N.E (2019) Profiling of Bagoong Production Journal of Education, Management and Social Sciences Philippines: Pangasinan State University; 2019;2(1): 52-58 Bajet, Jr M., and Esguerra, E.N (2008) Prototyping of a Mechanized Bagoong Squeezer https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/41469009/prototypingof-a-mechanized-bagoong-squeezer-eisrjc Accessed: 23 May 2020 Balitang Aminana Ngayon: Online News (2017) Dinengdeng Festival A Symbolism Of Culture Of Ilocano People http://www.amiananbalitangayon.com/dinengdeng-festival-a-symbolism-ofculture-of-ilocano-people/ Accessed: 23 May 2020 51 Battcock, M (1998) Fermented fruits and vegetables: a global perspective (No 134) Food & Agriculture Org Beddows CG Fermented fish and fish products InMicrobiology of fermented foods 1998 (pp 416-440) Springer, Boston, MA Bodmer, S., Imark, C and Kneubühl, M (1999) Biogenic amines in foods: histamine and food processing Inflammation research, 48(6), pp.296-300 Burri, L and Nunes, A.J (2016) Benefits of including krill meal in shrimp diets World Aquaculture, pp.19-23 Doeun, D., Davaatseren, M., and Chung M.S (2017) Biogenic amines in foods Food science and biotechnology Dec 1;26(6):1463-74 Duarte, J., Vinderola, G., Ritz, B., Perdigón, G and Matar, C (2006) Immunomodulating capacity of commercial fish protein hydrolysate for diet supplementation Immunobiology, 211(5), pp.341-350 Espejo-Hermes, J (2004) Trends and status of fish processing technology DA-BFAR In turbulent seas: the status of Philippine marine fisheries Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines, pp.122-126 Faithong, N and Benjakul, S (2014) Changes in antioxidant activities and physicochemical properties of Kapi, a fermented shrimp paste, during fermentation Journal of Food science and Technology, 51(10), pp.2463-2471 Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles Philippines (2014) Country Profile Fact Sheets In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department http://www.fao.org/fishery/ Accessed July 2020 52 Gopakumar, K (1997) Tropical fishery products Science Pub Incorporated Grossman E (2015) Scientist considers whether krill need to be protected from human over-hunting In: The world https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-14/scientistsconsider-whether-krill-need-be-protected-human-over-hunting Accessed 29 July 2020 Ichimura, T., Hu, J., Aita, D.Q and Maruyama, S (2003) Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity and insulin secretion stimulative activity of fermented fish sauce Journal of bioscience and bioengineering, 96(5), pp.496499 Idyll, C.P (1973) The anchovy crisis Scientific American 1;228(6):22-9 Israel, D.C (2004) Economics and environment in the fisheries sector In Turbulent Seas: The Status of Philippine Marine Fisheries 131-7 Itou, K., Nagahashi, R., Saitou, M and Akahane, Y (2007) Antihypertensive effect of narezushi, a fermented mackerel product, on spontaneously hypertensive rats Fisheries Science, 73(6), p.1344 Kim, D.C., Chae, H.J and In, M.J (2004) Existence of stable fibrin-clotting inhibitor in salt-fermented anchovy sauce Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 17(1), pp.113-118 Kim, K.P., Rhee, C.H and Park, H.D (2002) Degradation of cholesterol by Bacillus subtilis SFF34 isolated from Korean traditional fermented flatfish Letters in applied microbiology, 35(6), pp.468-472 Kleekayai, T., Saetae, D., Wattanachaiyingyong, O., Tachibana, S., Yasuda, M and Suntornsuk, W (2015) Characterization and in vitro biological activities of 53 Thai traditional fermented shrimp pastes Journal of Food Science and Technology, 52(3), pp.1839-1848 Kofi Manso Essuman (1992) Fermented Fish in Africa: A Study on Processing, Marketing, and Consumption (No 329) Food & Agriculture Org Kuznesof, S., Tregear, A and Moxey, A (1997) Regional foods: a consumer perspective British Food Journal Lee, C H., & Lee, G I (2014) Safety of Food and Beverages: Safety of Regional Specialities–Korean Fermented Foods Lee, I and Arcodia, C (2011) The role of regional food festivals for destination branding International Journal of Tourism Research, 13(4), pp.355-367 Lee, Y.G., Lee, K.W., Kim, J.Y., Kim, K.H and Lee, H.J (2004) Induction of apoptosis in a human lymphoma cell line by hydrophobic peptide fraction separated from anchovy sauce Biofactors, 21(1-4), pp.63-67 Longhurst, R (2003) Semi-structured interviews and focus groups Key methods in geography, 3(2), pp.143-156 Mabesa, R.C., Castillo, M.M., Revilla, S.V and Bandian, V.T (1983) Safety evaluation of fermented fish and shellfish products: I Microbiological contaminants Philippines Journal of Sciences, 112(1-2), pp.91-102 Mackie, I.M., Hardy, R and Hobbs, G (1971) Fermented fish products FAO Fisheries Report No 100 Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations Rome 54 Mahanta, P and Muzaddadi, A.U (2013) Extension of shelflife of the fermented fish product, shidal by packaging in glass bottle and low temperature storage Indian J Fish, 60(2), pp.135-143 Martinez-Villaluenga, C., Penas, E and Frias, J (2017) Bioactive peptides in fermented foods: Production and evidence for health effects In Fermented foods in health and disease prevention (pp 23-47) Academic Press McDonal, A.A (2015) How food helped shape history In: World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/03/how-food-helped-shape-history/ Accessed 21 June 2020 Minta, S (2015) Regional food products: only for tourists or also for residents Poljoprivreda i Sumarstvo, 61(1), p.51 Montaño, N., Gavino, G and Gavino, V.C (2001) Polyunsaturated fatty acid contents of some traditional fish and shrimp paste condiments of the Philippines Food Chemistry, 75(2), pp.155-158 Montet, D and Ray, R.C eds (2011) Aquaculture Microbiology and Biotechnology, Volume Two CRC Press Mortensen, D (2019) How to Do a Thematic Analysis of User Interviews| Interaction Design Foundation Motarjemi, Y (2002) Impact of small-scale fermentation technology on food safety in developing countries International Journal of Food Microbiology, 75(3), pp.213-229 Nagarajarao, R.C (2016) Recent advances in processing and packaging of fishery products: A review Aquatic procedia, 7, pp.201-213 55 National Research Council (1992) Applications of Biotechnology to Fermented Foods: Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Board on Science and Technology for International Development Olubunmi, F., Suleman, S., Uche, I and Olumide, B (2010) Preliminary production of sauce from clupeids New York Science Journal, 3(3), pp.45-49 Osman, O.A., Sulieman, A.M.E., Elkhalifa, E.A and Mustafa, W.A (2012) Chemical and microbiological characteristics of fermented fish product, Fassiekh Food and Public Health, 2(6), pp.213-218 Peralta, E.M., Hatate, H., Kawabe, D., Kuwahara, R., Wakamatsu, S., Yuki, T and Murata, H (2008) Improving antioxidant activity and nutritional components of Philippine salt-fermented shrimp paste through prolonged fermentation Food Chemistry, 111(1), pp.72-77 Rezac, S., Kok, C.R., Heermann, M and Hutkins, R (2018) Fermented foods as a dietary source of live organisms Frontiers in microbiology, 9, p.1785 Ruddle, K and Ishige, N (2010) On the origins, diffusion and cultural context of fermented fish products in Southeast Asia Globalization, Food and Social Identities in the Asia Pacific Region, pp.1-17 Sanchez, P.C (2008) Philippine fermented foods: principles and technology UP Press Tacon, A.G and Metian, M (2013) Fish matters: importance of aquatic foods in human nutrition and global food supply Reviews in fisheries Science, 21(1), pp.22-38 Tańska-Hus, B., Nowak, M and Minta, S (2013) The structure and potential size of the regional product Sudeten beef market Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego we Wrocławiu-Rolnictwo, 106(595), pp.95-105 56 Thapa, N., Pal, J and Tamang, J.P (2004) Microbial diversity in ngari, hentak and tungtap, fermented fish products of North-East India World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 20(6), p.599 Thongthai, C.H.A.U.F.A.H and Gildberg, A.S.B.J.Ø.R.N (2005) Asian fish sauce as a source of nutrition Asian functional foods, pp.215-265 Tou, J.C., Jaczynski, J and Chen, Y.C (2007) Krill for human consumption: nutritional value and potential health benefits Nutrition reviews, 65(2), pp.63-77 Tungkawachara, S., Park, J.W and Choi, Y.J (2003) Biochemical properties and consumer acceptance of Pacific whiting fish sauce Journal of Food Science, 68(3), pp.855-860 Ulfah, K.N (2013) Determination of biochemical quality in Malaysian fermented products Journal of Environmental Research and Development, 7(3), pp.1224-1227 Wahlqvist, M.L and Lee, M.S (2007) Regional food culture and development Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 16(S1), pp.2-7 ZaMaN, M Z., Bakar, F A., SelaMat, J., & Bakar, J (2010) Occurrence of biogenic amines and amines degrading bacteria in fish sauce Czech Journal of Food Sciences, 28(5), 440-449 Zang, J., Xu, Y., Xia, W and Regenstein, J.M (2020) Quality, functionality, and microbiology of fermented fish: a review Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 60(7), pp.1228-1242 57 Appendix 1: Consent for participation in research interview I agree to participate in a research of Ms Pauline Damaso from the Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Advanced Education Program (TUAFAEP) in Vietnam and supervised by Dr Nikki Herherson Dagamac from University of Santo Tomas (Philippines) The purpose of this document is to specify the terms of my participation in the research through being interviewed The purpose of my participation as an interviewee in this research has been explained to me clearly May participation as an interviewee in this research is voluntary There is no explicit or implicit enforcement to participate Participation involves being interviewed by a researcher from TUAF I allow the researcher to take written notes during the interview; I also may allow the recording by audio video tape and taking photo of the interview It is clear to me that in case I not want the interview to be taped I am at any point of time fully entitled to withdraw from participation I have the right not to answer any of the questions if I feel uncomfortable during the session, I have the right to withdraw from the interview I have been given the clear guarantees that, if I wish so, the researcher will not identify me by name or function in any report using information obtained from this interview and that my confidentiality as a participant in this study will remain secure The access to the interview transcript will be limited only to Ms Pauline Damaso and her supervisors _ Participant’s signature _ Researcher’s Signature Date Date 58 Appendix 2: Letter of formality for the mayor of Agoo, La Union 59 Appendix 3: Letter of formality to the captain of barangay San Julian West, Ago, La Union 60 Appendix 4: Letter of formality to the barangay of Balawarte, Agoo, La Union 61 ... Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia in South East Asia Fish and fish products are great sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential minerals and vitamins, and are a vital component... filth, sand and dust (Mahanta and Muzaddadi, 2013) There are almost as many traditional fermented fish packaging method as there are ways to make them- such as earthenware pots, oil cans, drums and. .. well-known to the manufacturers of Agoo, La Union The manufacturers of bagoong follow a food safety protocol The packaging of the bagoong uses a traditional way of packaging The bagoong of Agoo, La Union