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Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Tejate, a Traditional Maize and Cacao Beverage from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico

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Abstract

Foam-topped cacao and maize beverages have a long history in Mesoamerica. Tejate is such a beverage found primarily in the Zapotec region of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. Historically tejate has been ceremonially important but also as an essential staple, especially during periods of hard fieldwork. However, the nutritional contribution of traditional foods such as tejate has not been investigated. We analyzed tejate samples from three Central Valley communities, vendors in urban Oaxaca markets and one migrant vendor in California, USA for their proximate composition, amino acid content and scores, and mineral and methylxanthine content. Nutritional and chemical variation exists among tejate recipes, however, the beverage is a source of energy, fat, methylxanthines, K, Fe and other minerals although their availability due to presence of phytates remains to be determined. Tejate is a source of protein comparable to an equal serving size of tortillas, with protein quality similarly limited in both. Tejate provides the nutritional benefits of maize, and some additional ones, in a form appealing during hot periods of intense work, and year round because of its cultural significance. Its substitution by sodas and other high glycemic beverages may have negative nutritional, health and cultural consequences.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the households and tejateras who provided samples and their insights with patience and good humor; municipal authorities of the study communities for permission to conduct the research; our colleagues on the UCMexus-CONACyT Tejate project- Flavio Aragón Cuevas, Pamela Castillo, Humberto Castro García, David A. Cleveland, Beatriz Cruz López, Marcus Winter; Elisabeth Garcia for a very helpful review and comments; Pulciano Gomez Martínez and family for assistance and discussions in California; for funding UCMexus-CONACyT, and US National Science Foundation (DEB-0409984). This paper is dedicated to Dr. Angela Sotelo who directed the laboratory analyses and pioneered studies of the biochemical properties of Theobroma and other comestible plant species in Mexico.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Farmacía, Facultad de Química, Laboratorio 111, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México, DF, México

    Angela Sotelo, Argelia Sánchez-Chinchillas & Rosa Maria Argote

  2. Geography Department, University of California—Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-4060, USA

    Daniela Soleri

  3. Departamento de Alimentos y Biotecnología, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, DF, México, 04510

    Carmen Wacher

Authors
  1. Angela Sotelo
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  2. Daniela Soleri
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  3. Carmen Wacher
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  4. Argelia Sánchez-Chinchillas
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  5. Rosa Maria Argote
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniela Soleri.

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Angela Sotelo: Deceased

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Sotelo, A., Soleri, D., Wacher, C. et al. Chemical and Nutritional Composition of Tejate, a Traditional Maize and Cacao Beverage from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 67, 148–155 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-012-0281-5

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