Aguamiel

3682

J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 3682–3687

Analysis of the Main Components of the Aguamiel
Produced by the Maguey-Pulquero (Agave mapisaga)
throughout the Harvest Period
ROSA ISELA ORTIZ-BASURTO,†,⊥ GÉRALD POURCELLY,† THIERRY DOCO,§
PASCALE WILLIAMS,§ MANUEL DORNIER,# AND MARIE-PIERRE BELLEVILLE*,†
Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM), ENSCM, UM2, CNRS, Université de MontpellierII,
CC 047, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France; UMR 1083 Sciences pour l′œnologie
INRA, SupAgro, UM1, 2 place Viala, F-34060 Cedex Montpellier, France; UMR 95 Qualisud,
CIRAD, Montpellier SupAgro, 73 rue Jean-François Breton, TA B-95/16, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5,
France; and Universidad Tecnológica de Tecamachalco, Avenida Universidad Tecnológica No. 1,
Tecamachalco Puebla,Mexico

The main characteristics of the aguamiel (maguey-pulquero sap) during the harvest period of the
Agave mapisaga plants were assessed to establish its stability through time and the industrial potential
of its components. Only minor differences in aguamiel composition were detected among samples
collected at different time points of the harvest period. The aguamiel analyzed contained 11.5wt %
of dry matter, which was composed mainly of sugars (75 wt %). Among these sugars, 10 wt % were
fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), which are known to be important in the food industry for their prebiotic
properties. Other components include 0.3 wt % of free amino acids (with most essential amino acids
and four neurotransmitters: GABA, GLY, GLX, and ASX), 3 wt % of proteins, and 3 wt % of ashes.KEYWORDS: Aguamiel (maguey-pulquero sap); Agave spp. (A. mapisaga); fructans; fructo-oligosaccharides; amino acids

INTRODUCTION

In semidesert areas of Mexico, the growing of agave species
such as maguey-pulquero (AgaVe salmiana, A. mapisaga, A.
atroVirens, A. americana, A. ferox) (1) is very important: it limits
drift from the land and also prevents soil erosion. These agaves
aremainly used to produce pulque, one of the oldest alcoholic
beverages on the American continent (2), obtained by fermentation of aguamiel (maguey-pulquero sap). Actually, aguamiel
production is induced from these plants at the time when the
plant’s flower stem shoots up (around 8-10 years old) by
making a hollow in the center. The collection is done every
12 h after scraping the stem of the agave,and the production
lasts from 4 to 6 months. The volume of aguamiel changes
throughout the harvesting period. At the beginning one can
collect about 0.4 L · plant-1 · day-1, and this amount increases
to 4 or 6 L · plant-1 · day-1 during the first 2 months and then
decreases to 0.4 L · plant-1 · day-1 toward the end of production
time.
Fermentation occurs thanks to microorganisms naturallypresent in the aguamiel or those incorporated during the
* Corresponding author (e-mail marie-pierre.belleville@iemm.univmontp2.fr; telephone/fax + 33 467 14 91 48).
†
Université de Montpellier II.
⊥
Universidad Tecnológica de Tecamachalco.
§
UMR 1083 Sciences pour l′œnologie INRA.
#
UMR 95 Qualisud, CIRA.

collection, transport, etc. It can also be accelerated by the
addition of aportion of pulque previously produced. Thus, the
beverage is the result of the action of a large bacterial
diversity (1, 3).
In the first half of the 20th century, pulque production
constituted a profitable industry in Mexico, but nowadays it is
not economically attractive at all, the pulque price varying from
US$0.26 to 0.43 per liter (4). Furthermore, pulque consumption
has dramaticallydecreased in favor of beer, which represents
>54% of the total ethanol consumption as compared to 11%
for pulque (5). As a result, the culture of the agave pulquero
plant has been discouraged because it did not represent a
profitable source of income anymore.
The tradition of the “Tlachique” (aguamiel harvest) as well
as the sowing and use of maguey-pulquero should be preserved
as part of the...