Exploring the potentialities of the Mexican fermented beverage: Pulque

Abstract

Traditional alcoholic beverages are today recognized for their potentialities and benefits to human health. Pulque is likely to be one of the most consumed traditional beverages in Mexico, which is currently being explored by the research community. Different research and applications have been developed towards the full identification and characterization of the compounds and microbiota presented in pulque. Moreover, to improve its commercialization, specific emerging techniques have been proposed and implemented for the processing of such a traditional alcoholic beverage. Therefore, the goal of this review is to release a comprehensive overview of the latest research and developments focused on exploring the pulque. Herein, a particular emphasis has been paid to the relevant studies and findings in the field. Moreover, a clear overview of the microbial, physicochemical composition, elaboration protocols, together with the main parameters influencing its quality, are given. Few applications and processes aiming for its commercialization have been done (e.g., microencapsulation, spray-drying and ohmic treatment); however, within the exploitation of pulque, its main compounds have been implemented towards the enhancement of properties of other commercial products, such as tortilla and bread. Finally, this review provides the current research gaps and recommendations to the new researchers in the field.