A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6°C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg·h−1. Based on coefficient of determination (R 2), chi-square (χ 2) test, and root-mean-square error (RMSE), the most suitable models describing natural convection solar drying kinetics were Logarithmic model, Diffusion approximate model, and Two-term model for climbing perch and Nile tilapia, swamp eel and walking catfish and Channa fish, respectively. In case of electric oven drying, the Modified Page 1 model shows the best results for all investigated fish species except Channa fish where the two-term model is the best one. Sensory evaluation shows that most preferable fish is climbing perch, followed by Nile tilapia and walking catfish. This study brings new knowledge about drying kinetics of fresh water fish species in Cambodia and confirms the solar drying as acceptable technology for fish processing.

Mathematical modeling of thin-layer solar drying of eland jerky was investigated in this study. Eland jerky was compared to traditional beef jerky, inasmuch as both were treated with traditional jerky marinade (TM), traditional marinade with honey (TMH) and compared to an untreated control (C). The influence of the marinades on the drying process was statistically significant. Based on the coefficients of determination, the root mean square errors and the chi-squares, the two-term model was found to be the most suitable model for describing the solar drying kinetics of eland jerky. The mean effective moisture diffusivities of solar dried eland meat for the C, TM and TMH samples were 2.07 Â 10 −10 , 1.45 Â 10 −10 and 1.43 Â 10 −10 m 2 .s −1 , respectively. The activation energy values for solar dried eland jerky were 23.75, 26.22 and 26.97 kJ mol −1 for C, TM and TMH, respectively.

More than 85% of the population in Cambodia is strongly dependent on agriculture, of which freshwater aquaculture is one of the most important sources of food production. The smoked fish represents an important source of nutrients for Cambodian population; however, it can also lead to excessive intake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A field survey was conducted among selected smoked fish producers near to Tonle Sap river in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia. The study revealed that maximal limits for benzo[a]pyrene and the sum of four PAHs given by EC 1881/2006 were exceeded 2-50 times. Such burden can lead to increased risk of development of carcinogenic diseases.

Enzymatic browning, which accompanies food preservation processes based on drying, is a common obstacle to obtaining marketable and consumer-appealing products. In this paper, we investigate the application of one of the methods commonly used in order to counter the browning process, namely dipping. Dipping involves a soaking of the foods in liquids or solutions in order to suppress the activity of polyphenoloxidase (PPO) enzymes, either by physically preventing oxygen from interacting with it, or by dramatically decreasing water activity and thus slowing down water-dependent reactions. In this study, juices from selected fresh fruits with high ascorbic acid content were used as natural preservatives with antibrowning effects. The juices were prepared from fruit of the following species: Sorbus aucuparia, Diospyros kaki, Hippophae rhamnoides, Actinidia deliciosa, and Rosa canina. The effect of selected juices on color change was tested on dried "Idared" apple slices and was compared to slices of freshly cut apples (standard). The browning index of all sample groups showed significant differences between treatment groups and the standard except for samples treated with Rosa canina juice. The effect of the juices was also evaluated via a sensory panel, where color change, degree of browning, change of taste, and overall acceptability of the resulting color and taste were evaluated. Results showed that the best antibrowning effect was achieved by macerate from fruits of Rosa canina. The results of this study showed that dipping in some plant juices has the potential of complementing or replacing the sulphite-based approach, which is the current method of choice of the food industry.

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Asia. As regards education, the lack of appropriate training of skills at schools, poor quality of teaching, gaps in teacher education and high student drop-out rates have produced a generation of young people with limited readiness of their work skills and efficiency in the workplace. Public education is therefore viewed as a critical component of the national recovery. The paper presents a partial activity of the project "Enhancement of Technical Education in Cambodia" which was implemented within the Czech Development Cooperation during the years 2015-2017. Specifically, the partial activity running in February 2016 concerned external evaluation of the quality of teaching of vocational subjects at a particular high school in rural Cambodia. The purpose of the external evaluation was to know the status and level of the work of teachers in the teaching of vocational subjects through inspection activities, it means by observation of teaching, and also to provide teachers with a relevant feedback. It can be concluded for the eight assessed teachers of vocational subjects that the basic skills of the teacher are guaranteed, and it can be argued that the teachers achieve so-called pedagogical minimum for teaching. However, there are still aspects of their further pedagogical development. Based on this, the authors want to highlight the significance of development cooperation projects.