In this study, the indigenous alcoholic beverages in a rural village of Cameroon were investigated. The technique for producing alcoholic beverages in the village was observed, and the concentrations of ethanol, glucose and lactic acid and the pH values during the course of production were measured using portable devices at the field site. Eight different kinds of alcoholic beverage (palm wine, palm spirits, raffia wine, cassava spirits, maize turbid beer, maize spirits, plantain wine and plantain spirits) were produced and consumed in the village. Of these beverages, palm wine, made from palm sap, was the most important alcoholic beverage in a villager's daily life. In addition, starch-based alcoholic beverages were distilled rather than drunk directly. As germinated maize, which has a relatively low amylase activity, was used as an amylase source in production, starch-based alcoholic beverages might need to be distilled to enhance the ethanol concentration. During the course of production, the pH was reduced using local techniques, which proved to be effective in preventing bacterial contamination.
Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is a cereal that is widely used as an ingredient for alcoholic beverages in Eastern Africa. However, the reason for its preferred use in brewing over other types of cereal is still unknown. In this study, we aim to clarify the reason for selective use of finger millet in Eastern African brewing, through a field survey and laboratory experiments. The field survey was conducted in a rural village of Tanzania, named Bupigu. In the village, finger millet was used to prepare four types of foods: ugali (stiff porridge), uji (thin porridge), togwa (saccharified beverage) and pombe (alcoholic beverage). Among them, pombe brewing was the principal method of utilization. In addition, the survey showed that the villagers recognize that finger millet is responsible for the strong taste of pombe. Furthermore, the laboratory experiment showed that the α‐amylase activity of finger millet is higher than that of other cereals cultivated in Eastern Africa, suggesting that finger millet is a preferable ingredient for enhancing the efficiency of ethanol production. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the high amylase activity, which led to high ethanol concentrations in the alcoholic beverages, is a preferable characteristic of the finger millet.
In this study, the production techniques of indigenous alcoholic beverages in a rural village in Tanzania were investigated. In the village, three different kinds of alcoholic beverages were produced: a maize turbid beer (komoni), a straw beer (kimpumu) and a hybrid straw beer (kiambule). In the course of the production of these three alcoholic beverages, two different kinds of porridge, a fermented porridge (nyambo) as a source of yeasts and a sweet porridge (kikonde) as a source of saccharides, were produced. These porridges were mixed at the end of the production process. The pH value of fermented porridge was kept below 4 during its preparation. This was effective in preventing contamination of the porridge by harmful bacteria and in stabilizing the growth of the yeasts. Sweet porridge was heated in the range of 50-70°C and this enhanced the saccharification of the starch in the raw materials. The starting materials of these alcoholic beverages were finger millet and maize. Germinated finger millet, which has a high amylase activity compared with other cereals, was used as an amylase source in each of the alcoholic beverage production processes. Various techniques to enhance and stabilize the quality of the indigenous alcoholic beverages are described.
Background The central nervous system was previously thought to draw oxygen and nutrition from the arteries and discharge carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes into the venous system. At present, the functional role of cerebrospinal fluid in brain metabolism is not fully known. Methods In this prospective observational study, we performed gas analysis on venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid simultaneously acquired from 16 consecutive preoperative patients without any known neurological disorders. Results The carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO 2 ) (p < 0.0001) and lactic acid level (p < 0.001) in the cerebrospinal fluid were significantly higher than those in the peripheral venous blood, suggesting that a considerable proportion of metabolic carbon dioxide and lactic acid is discharged from the central nervous system into the cerebrospinal fluid. The oxygen partial pressure (pO 2 ) was much higher in the cerebrospinal fluid than in the venous blood, corroborating the conventional theory of cerebrospinal fluid circulatory dynamics. The pCO 2 of the cerebrospinal fluid showed a strong negative correlation with age (R = − 0.65, p = 0.0065), but the other studied variables did not show significant correlation with age. Conclusion Carbon dioxide and lactic acid are discharged into the circulating cerebrospinal fluid, as well as into the venules. The level of carbon dioxide in the cerebrospinal fluid significantly decreased with age.
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