A Study on Agave Fermentation and Flavor

In this educational workshop the authors will discuss Agave fermentation challenges and opportunities. Syrup from the pine of the Agave tequilana plant is rich in the oligosaccharide inulin. The predominant sugar moiety of Inulin is fructose, as each long chain contains several fructose units bound together by Beta- 2,1 linkages that terminate in a glucose moiety. Agave fermentations yield increased organoleptic compounds from slow and cooler fermentations and generally require the presence of bacteria and wild yeast to assist in the breakdown of Inulin. Yeast strain effect can also be significant due to the variability in specific yeast ability to assimilate fructose and tolerate higher ethanol environments. During this workshop speakers will present an overview of Agave fermentations used for tequila production as well as demonstrate the effects of varying yeast strain, starting sugar concentration and fermentation time on tequila flavor.