1. Cultural Values and the Coliform Bacterial Load of 'Masato,' an Amazon Indigenous Beverage
- Author
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Bussalleu Cavero, Alejandra Estefania, Di-Liberto, A., Cárcamo Cavagnaro, César Paul Eugenio, Carrasco Escobar, Gabriel, Zavaleta Cortijo, Claudia Carol, King, M., Berrang-Ford, L., Maurtua Torres, Dora Jesus, Llanos Cuentas, Elmer Alejandro, Garcia Funegra, Patricia Jannet, Harper, S.L., Edge, V., Ford, J., Lwasa, S., Namanya, D.B., Indigenous Health and Adaption to Climate Change Research Group (IHACC), and Academic staff unit
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#3.03.05 [https] ,030309 nutrition & dietetics ,Shawi ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,030231 tropical medicine ,Indigenous ,Masato ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Enterobacteriaceae ,Amazonia ,Indigenous knowledge ,Water safety ,Peru ,medicine ,Traditional knowledge ,Indigenous Peoples ,Socioeconomics ,2. Zero hunger ,0303 health sciences ,Ecology ,Indigenous food ,Amazon rainforest ,Alcoholic Beverages ,Public health ,food and beverages ,Original Contribution ,15. Life on land ,Bacterial Load ,Coliform bacteria ,Fecal coliform ,Geography ,Animal ecology ,Fermentation ,Water quality ,SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation ,Brazil - Abstract
Access to safe drinking water is limited in many isolated areas, such as the Amazon where Indigenous peoples frequently reside. Identifying safe forms of drinking water accepted by the communities could have positive health benefits for Indigenous peoples. Many Amazon Indigenous peoples traditionally prepare and consume a fermented beverage called masato, which is frequently the only form of water consumption. Despite its widespread consumption and evidence of the health benefits of fermentation, masato remains poorly investigated. We partnered with a Shawi Indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon to conduct participatory photography to research masato preparation, and to characterize key cultural features and to assess the presence of total and fecal coliform bacteria by using a membrane filter technique. Pictures show that masato preparation is a key part of cultural practices and that there are clear gender roles in the preparation process. We found that 100% of communal water sources (26/26) were contaminated with coliform bacteria; by contrast, fewer, 18% of masato samples (2/11), were positive for coliform. This exploratory study suggests that fermented beverages like masato merit further investigation as they represent an Indigenous method to improve water quality in Amazonian communities where water safety cannot be assured.
- Published
- 2020
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