Abstract
Pulque is a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage produced from the fermentation of the fresh sap known as aguamiel (mead) extracted from several species of Agave (maguey) plants that grow in the Central Mexico plateau. Currently, pulque is produced, sold and consumed in popular districts of Mexico City and rural areas. The fermented product is a milky white, viscous, and slightly acidic liquid beverage with an alcohol content between 4 and 7° GL and history of consumption that dates back to pre-Hispanic times. In this contribution, we review the traditional pulque production process, including the microbiota involved in the biochemical changes that take place during aguamiel fermentation. We discuss the historical relevance and the benefits of pulque consumption, its chemical and nutritional properties, including the health benefits associated with diverse lactic acid bacteria with probiotic potential isolated from the beverage. Finally, we describe the actual status of pulque production as well as the social, scientific and technological challenges faced to preserve and improve the production of this ancestral beverage and Mexican cultural heritage.
Highlights
The role of maize in the origin of humans as described in the Popol Vuh, the sacred Maya book, together with the betrayal of the Toltec god Quetzalcoatl by Tezcatlipoca -the omnipresent god of the night who sees everything- are the two favorite stories of Mesoamerican mythology
Pulque is a milky white, viscous, and slightly acidic beverage whit an alcoholic content which depends on several factors but usually between 4 and 7◦ GL, produced by spontaneous fermentation of aguamiel, the sugary sap extracted from the Agave species mentioned above (Secretaría de Economía, 1972b)
The dynamics of bacterial diversity was studied in the laboratory with fresh aguamiel and pulque collected from Huitzilac, Morelos state by Escalante et al (2008), using a polyphasic approach, including the isolation of LAB, aerobic mesophiles, and 16S rDNA clone libraries from total DNA extracted from fresh collected aguamiel used as substrate, after inoculation with previously produced pulque and followed by 6-h fermentation
Summary
The role of maize in the origin of humans as described in the Popol Vuh, the sacred Maya book, together with the betrayal of the Toltec god Quetzalcoatl by Tezcatlipoca -the omnipresent god of the night who sees everything- are the two favorite stories of Mesoamerican mythology. Pulque is a milky white, viscous, and slightly acidic beverage whit an alcoholic content which depends on several factors but usually between 4 and 7◦ GL, produced by spontaneous fermentation of aguamiel, the sugary sap extracted from the Agave species mentioned above (Secretaría de Economía, 1972b).
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