Bussalleu, A, Di-Liberto, A, Carcamo, C et al. (7 more authors) (2020) Cultural Values and the Coliform Bacterial Load of “Masato,” an Amazon Indigenous Beverage. EcoHealth, 17 (3). pp. 370-380. ISSN 1612-9202
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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This article is protected by copyright. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | Water safety; Fermentation; Indigenous food; Amazonia; Shawi; Peru; Masato; Indigenous knowledge |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Jan 2021 14:53 |
Last Modified: | 04 Jan 2021 14:53 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10393-020-01498-5 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169201 |