**2. Fermented beverages of South America**

The traditional foods, mainly those produced by spontaneous fermentation, are present in the daily life of the population and play an important role in the cultural identity of different communities [59]. Indigenous or traditional fermented foods refer to the products that, since the beginning of history, are an integral part of the diet and can be prepared in household or cottage industry, using simple techniques and equipments [60].

In South America, there are various traditional fermented beverages, mainly produced by fermentation of cereals, vegetables, and root tubers. Among these beverages could be cited the traditional beverages *cauim* and *caxiri*, made by Brazilian natives and the traditional beers *chicha* and c*hampús*, typical of the Andes [59, 61–64]. *Cachaça* is also a typical beverage, from Brazil, where the fermented sugarcane juice is then distilled to produce a spirit. Table 1 shows some characteristics of these traditional beverages.


**Table 1.** Catalogue of traditional fermented beverages of South America.

## **2.1.** *Caxiri*

*Caxiri* is an alcoholic fermented beverage made from cassava (*Manihot esculenta* Crantz) and produced by Brazilian natives. The *Yudjá-Pakaya* native tribe is located in the Xingu Park in the Mato Grosso state, Brazil [64]. Initially, cassava roots are incubated for 2 days in running water to soft the skin. After this stage, the cassava is peeled, cut into small pieces, and placed in handmade straw press for removing the excess of water. The resulting paste from pressing is grated into flour. Then the flour is roasted for about 2 hours. Subsequently, the flour is mixed with water and grated sweet potato. The mixture is placed in special open vessels for fermen‐ tation to occur. After 24–48 hours, the beverage is ready for consumption [64]. In the course of the fermentation process, a change of pH occurs, decreasing from pH ~5.8 to ~3.1–3.2. The final beverage has an ethanol concentration of approximately 80 g/L, and 28 g/L of lactic acid.

Ramos et al. (2010) investigated the microbiota involved in *caxiri* by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods of cultivation. These authors found that the bacterial popula‐ tions varied from 3.05 to 5.33 log CFU/mL, and the populations of yeast from 3.27 to 7.34 log CFU/mL. Yeast dominate fermentation after 48 hours, being *S. cerevisiae* the dominant yeast species. Other yeast species, such as *Rhodotorula mucilaginosa*, *Pichia membranifaciens*, *Pichia guilliermondii* and *Cryptococcus luteolus* were also found. The bacteria belonging to the genus *Bacillus* were the most prevalent in *caxiri*. LAB species were found at the beginning of the fermentation and after 24 hours of fermentation. The microbiota found in *caxiri* may be from different sources, such as raw materials, environmental, or utensils used in the preparation of the beverage [64].
