Subproductos de interés nutricional y funcional de Agave salmiana

Abstract

Agave salmiana is a native subspecies from Mexico, it has been part of different historical periods, used in construction, clothing, food and drink; highlighting the aguamiel as a by-product, whose particularity is its high sugar content (fructoo-ligosaccharides). Some by-products are derived from aguamiel, such as pulque and agave syrup; the first is the result of fermentation and the second of the concentration of solutes by thermal and/or enzymatic treatments. Therefore, the objective of this review was to collect recent information about Agave salmiana and by-products of nutritional and functional interest, as well as use in food products. We used the following databases were used: Medline/PubMed, SciELO, ELSEVIER, as well as the Official Mexican Standards and private web pages. The search strategy was carried out with the boolean operators "AND" and "OR", using the following words: Aguamiel and characterization, pulque and microorganisms or fermentation, agave syrup and bread. This review concludes that the consumption, in a controlled manner, of the by-products of Agave salmiana, brings with it multiple health benefits, mainly by strengthening the intestinal microbiota, so they can be included in the usual diet of a healthy person. In addition, by-products can be used as part of nutritional treatments, in low amounts, for diseases such as type 2 diabetes and insulin intolerance, ulcerative colitis and colon cancer, always with medical supervision. On the other hand, there is still a need to generate more information about the subject through scientific research. Keywords: Agave; Aguamiel; Fructooligosaccharides; Pulque.