Research opportunities: Traditional fermented beverages in Mexico. Cultural, microbiological, chemical, and functional aspects

Traditional Fermented Beverages of Mexico: A Biocultural Unseen Foodscape

“…Colonche is a traditional fermented beverage that can be prepared with fruits of at least 17 cacti species. Colonche is the common name of this beverage in the region of the Altiplano central region of Mexico, where it is mainly prepared with several Opuntia species, although the most common and preferred by the producers and consumers is that prepared with O. streptacantha [22,50]. Sahuaro is another common name for a fermented beverage mainly produced by the fermentation of Carnegiea gigantea fruits, whose distribution covers the Sonoran Desert in northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.A. [52].…”

“…Tepache can be prepared with at least 10 plant species as a substrate. Nowadays, in central Mexico the most common substrate is pineapple (Ananas comosus), but its etymology in the Náhuatl language derives from tepitl, a beverage made with maize in the past and in few localities [49,50], which suggests that this beverage is a derivation from an ancient maize beverage. In western Mexico, tepache is also produced by the fermentation of other fruits that belong to the Bromeliaceae family, such as Bromelia karatas, known as tumbiriche or timbiriche.…”

“…In the case of tepache prepared with pineapple, the process starts by peeling the infrutescences and adding the rind into a wooden container known as tepacheras, then brown sugar is added. It is a spontaneous fermentation where the microbiota is mainly associated with the sorosis epidermis [49,50]. Production of tepache with other fruits can be fermented in plastic containers; this beverage is commonly homemade, and its quality varies from kitchen to kitchen.…”

“…In Mexico, a broad spectrum of traditional fermented foods, including beverages, is produced from different raw materials by Indigenous and mestizo people in different regions, the processing methods and microbiota varying among regions, localities, and producers [47][48][49][50]. A previous work by Godoy and collaborators [51] reported 66 types of fermented beverages, 4 of them registered only in historical books but not consumed anymore.…”

“…Several studies have been directed to characterize the microbial communities associated with some TMFB [47][48][49][50], their possible benefits to human health [47][48][49][50], and their biotechnological and functional applications as the probiotic activity or the production of antimicrobial activity [47][48][49][50]. However, to our knowledge, none of them have been under detailed clinical trials to corroborate their benefits for human health [47][48][49][50] However, few studies have been directed to characterize the rich legacy and diversity of fermented beverages as biocultural reservoirs of diversity of organisms and the variety of practices to elaborate a culturally accepted product.…”