Fish preservation, processing, and nutritional knowledge data

This dataset includes:
1. Survey data: A series of questions designed to solicit information on fish preservation, processing, and nutritional knowledge. The questions were translated into Khmer and back-translated into English to ensure accuracy. The translation was conducted by Cambodian PI and personnel. The survey was conducted in eight locations of Sre Ambel, including Samdach Ta, K’aong, Beong Trach, Sre Ambel, Sala Mneang, Preah Angkeo, Bak Angrut, and Phum Veal. One hundred people from these communities were interviewed. People from Samdach Ta and K’aong were mostly women and did not go fishing, while the rest of the other six communities were fishermen, who went to the river to catch fish.
2. Sensory data: To determine the preferred cooking methods and fish species with acceptable sensory attributes, three fish species were selected for sensory evaluation including strip snakehead (Channa striata), walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), striped catfish (Pangasius djambal), and fermented striped catfish. Frying and boiling were the cooking methods for this sensory panel due to their popularity in Cambodia. The fish samples were purchased from Sre Ambel Market and were kept fresh before cooking. The samples with 3-digit codes were served to 7 groups of consumers (N = 100) in Sre Ambel communities namely Samdach Ta, Beong Trach, K’aong, Terk P’aong, Sala Mneang, Preah Angkeo, and Bak Angrut. The panelists were given instructions on how to rate each quality of sensory characteristic in terms of appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability. The consumers evaluated 8 samples and rated the acceptability of the sample on a 9-point hedonic scale with 1 being “dislike extremely” and 9 being “like extremely”.
3. Nutritional data: To generate the nutritional composition of the most commonly consumed fish species in Cambodia, eleven fish species were collected for proximate and fatty acid analysis for this study including, Channa striata, Channa lucius, Hemibagrus filamentus, Barbonymus gonionoyus, Larbiobarbus siamensis, Puntioplites bulu, Channa micropites, and Oxyeleotris marmorata were collected from Sre Ambel river; whereas Barbonymus gonionoyus and Barbonymus altus were collected from Sre Ambel Market; and Clarias batrachus, and Pangasianodon hypophthalamus were collected from cultured farm. Samples were randomly collected between September 2021 and May 2022 from fishermen along the river.
4. Shelf-life data: Forty-five catfish fillets were obtained for 3 replications of 5 antimicrobial treatments (25.5% of buffer dried vinegar, 25.5% rosemary extract, 12.5% combination of buffer dried vinegar and rosemary extract, positive control, and negative control) to evaluate inexpensive natural preservation methods for fresh fish. The fillets were then squared to approximately the same size, weighed, and dipped in the respective treatment solutions for 10 min. For the positive control treatment, fish fillets were not dipped and stored at 4°C; whereas for the negative control treatment, fillets were kept at room temperature. The fillets were removed, laid on a wire rack, and allowed to drip for 10 min before the weight was recorded again. At 0h, 12h, and 24h, fillets were withdrawn based on their designated duration. They were blended and 10g of the samples were weighed into a filter bag. Each sample was homogenized in 100mL of buffered peptone water (BPW) for one minute. Serial dilutions were then prepared from the fish rinsate and were enumerated by directly plating onto 3M Rapid Aerobic Count (RAC) Petrifilm®. The Petrifilm® was incubated at 37°C in aerobic conditions for 24 h.
5. Training & continuation assessment data: We conducted two workshops to train fishermen in fresh fish processing and preservation and to evaluate the willingness to continue to learn and apply fish processing techniques. For smoking, the graduate student experimented with various designs similar to what we recorded in a video clip. She trained 50 people in the first workshop. Right after demonstrating the building of the smoker and smoking fish, the participants evaluated the smoked fish and fried fish including, Cyclocheilichthys apogon and Ompok hypophthalamus. Thirty consumers, who were from Sala Mneang, Beong Trach, Preah Angkeo, and Bak Angrut, evaluated 4 different samples that were directly smoked, indirectly smoked (Brazilian style built during the workshop), fried, and vinegar fried. The Ompok hypophthalamus was rated by 18 consumers from Sre Ambel village. The panelists were instructed to rate each sensory attribute for appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability of the sample on a 9-point hedonic scale with 1 being “dislike extremely” and 9 being “like extremely”. In the second workshop, we recruited 35 participants with 21 participants from the previous workshop. The participants, in addition to being trained in fish processing, were asked to answer questions regarding their intention of how likely they would like to continue participation in the future. The line scale answer of “Definitely Not”, “Slightly Likely”, “Likely”, “Very Likely”, and “Definitely” was used to measure their intention. Fish filleting and the preservation of fish using vinegar were demonstrated to the participants. The fish used for this workshop was a walking catfish (Clarias batrachus). The 0.1% vinegar solution was prepared and the fish was dipped in vinegar and allowed to drip for 1 hour before the workshop started to show the effectiveness of the vinegar.