"Aloja": a pre-Hispanic fermented beverage from Prosopis alba pods

SCIAMMARO L. P.; PUPPO M. C.; VOGET C. E.

Prosopis as a Heat Tolerant Nitrogen Fixing Desert Food Legume. 1st Edition. Prospects for Economic Development in Arid Lands

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Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2021;

"Aloja" is a fermented beverage typical of the region of northwestern Argentina made with whole pods of Prosopis alba (white algarrobo) not so studied at a scientific level, so it includes scientific information on the preparation and physicochemical and microbial characterization of this drink. The protocols for preparing "Aloja" have been transmitted orally from generation to generation, since it is a homemade craft practice, which depends on the producer and the region where it is made. Fermentation is possible because the pods have a variable epiphytic microbiota. Microbial growth and the consumption of fermentable sugars show that the fermentation process is relatively short, characterized by intense lactic acid fermentation that lowers the pH of the medium preventing the development of pathogenic microorganisms; keeping the drink a slight sweet taste. Then the alcoholic fermentation is intensified, associated with the growth of yeasts in which sugars are depleted and the level of alcohol increases to a value of almost 6%, resulting in a sour and alcoholic beverage. The isolation and evolution of the microbial population over time allows to know in a great manner, the fermentation process of the drink