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 Luan van 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 Luan van 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 Luan van ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr.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 Luan van 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 Luan van TABLE OF CONTENTS DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT.
iv LIST OF FIGURES. viii LIST OF TABLE. ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .2 Significance of the study .3 Research questions and hypotheses.5 Scope and Limitations. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE .1 History of bagoong .2 Production of bagoong .4 Nutritional Value of fermented fish .5 Fermented fish in the Philippines .1 Materials and Instruments .1 The research design.
Data Collection Process .4 Time and place of the study. 22 PART IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .1 Historical origins of bagoong .1 Types of regional fermented fish products in La Union. 27 vi Luan van 4.2 Harvesting procedures of local small scale fishermen .3 Traditional methods of preparation of regional bagoong .4 Packaging of regional bagoong .5 Potential microbial and physical risk .7 Limitations in making regional bagoong .8 The nutritional component of bagoong. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
61 vii Luan van LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. General Production of bagoong. Location of the research area. Distribution of fish sauce based on the research of Naomichi Ishige.
Municipal fishing boats. Freshly caught fish. The process of homemade bagoong fish using anchovies. Different types of packaging.
The commercialize bagoong. 42 viii Luan van LIST OF TABLE Table 1. Summmary of Health Benefits of Fermented fish. 45 ix Luan van 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 Luan van PART I.1 Research rationale Regional foods are characterized by region and human-related factors.
It is specific goods typical for certain historical or geographical areas. They show the quality of a given region or entire nation (Minta, 2015). It also recognized the authenticity of the products that attributes to the consumers (Kuznesof et. Furthermore, regional foods depend on food accessibility and trade, climate, norms, and cultural differences (Wahlqvist, 2007).
An example of regional food in the Philippines is bagoong, a fermented fish product. In different parts of the world, fermented fish are produced and devoured and became an integral feature of many cultures of food (Zang et. Fermentation has long been used to improve and optimize the shelf-life, quality, and sensory attributes of food (Rezac et. The whole preservation process only requires a low cost and does not need any forms of technology.
For that reason, it is a relevant process to use in remote areas and in developing countries where access of advanced technology is scarce. Over generations, fermented products have been adapted including some finish products and practices (Battock, 1998). Moreover, for several purposes traditional fermentation in developing country serves. In 1 Luan van an emerging country like the Philippines, fermented products are produced in a variety of types, particularly fermented fish products.
Bagoong is one of the popular preserved fish products of the Philippines where it is a staple food in many communities. Also the product is also exported in other country where there is a presence of ethnic group or Filipino community. A by-product of bagoong is patis, which is the exuded liquor from the fermentation process and is similar to the Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc-mam). However, there are few reports regarding the documentation of this regional fish paste product of the Philippines.
Moreover, historical, pre and post- production processes, the cultural significance of traditional fermented foods, and regional food are limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to (i) fill in these gaps from local Ilocano stakeholders i. fisherman, manufacturer, and vendor, and (ii) document the potential risk and nutritional component of the regional bagoong in La Union, Philippines 1.2 Significance of the study The purpose of this study is to understand, through an empirical evaluation, the production of regional bagoong of Agoo, La Union, Philippines. This information may give importance and foundation for the regional food in the Philippines.
This research will provide data in other fields of science. Moreover, the information was to serve as a database that may provide new evidences to broaden the known information regarding the bagoong as a regional food in 2 Luan van Agoo, La Union, Philippines. The output of this study is also significant to the municipal, institutions, and researchers as their reference in their pursuit to relate to the base of knowledge. Most importantly, this study will benefit the La Union Province as the first conducted research about the regional food in the province and as well as to the Region one (1) of the Philippines.3 Research questions and hypotheses 1.1 Research questions This research aims to answer the focal questions, 1.
What is the history of bagoong in the province of La Union? 2. How was the bagoong being processed? a. Gathering and Handling of raw materials b. What are the different types of packaging? 4.
What are the potential risk factors of bagoong? a. What are the nutritional components of bagoong? 3 Luan van 1.2 Hypothesis The following hypothesis will be examined in this study 1. The history of the bagoong is well-known to the manufacturers of Agoo, La Union 2. The manufacturers of bagoong follow a food safety protocol 3.
The packaging of the bagoong uses a traditional way of packaging 4. The bagoong of Agoo, La Union has a potential for microbial and physical risk 5. The bagoong, a fermented fish sauce has health benefits.4 Research objectives This research aims to interview and collect the data of the stakeholders (i) the fishermen, (ii) manufacturers and (iii) sellers or vendors of the regional bagoong. Specifically, the research objectives: • To congregate an empirical data regarding to the history, packaging, and to the physical and microbial risk of bagoong; • To conduct a face to face interview to the stakeholders of regional bagoong in La Union to obtain data that are concerning their demographic information, pre- and post- production process of regional bagoong; • To identify the history of bagoong in La Union using primary and secondary sources.5 Scope and Limitations This study contains the perspective of the regional bagoong stakeholders.
Through participant observation, the data was gathered and analyzed using thematic analysis. However, this study is only limited to the stakeholders of regional bagoong in Agoo, La Union to view the production process, and may not reflect concern of all bagoong production across the Philippines.6 Operational Definition Fermentation- metabolic process that through the action of enzymes, generates chemical changes in organic substrates. Fishermen- someone who catches fish and other marine species in the sea Manufacturer- a person or company that makes goods for sale Nutritional components- The chemical components of food can be defined as nutrients and can be divided into six broad groups: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, mineral and water. Packaging- Enclosing and protecting products for production, transportation, sale and more with the combination of research, art and technology Safety protocol- major concerns especially in food producing industry such to prevent microbial spreading and more.
Traditional- inherited activities from ancestor Vendor- someone who sell goods in exchange for money to the customer 5 Luan van PART II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 History of bagoong Eastern Asian cuisine is based on a combination of rice, fish and vegetables, with majority of animal proteins, primarily fish, acquired from aquatic species.