Setopoti , A Homebrewed Traditional Alcoholic Beverage and Its Microbiomes: Toward Safer and Sustainable Fermentation Practices

Setopoti is a traditional watermelon-based alcoholic beverage, produced through spontaneous fermentation at household level. This review explores microbial ecology, safety concerns, and potential innovations surrounding setopoti. The spontaneous fermentation process involves complex consortia of microbes, whose succession dynamics and metabolic interactions determine the product taste, alcohol yield, and safety. While this natural process preserves cultural authenticity, it introduces microbiological risks, particularly under unsanitary production conditions. Omics-based approaches have enhanced microbiome studies, enabling real-time monitoring of fermentation and the development of risk-assessment frameworks. While CRISPR-Cas offer potential opportunities, controlled fermentation based on starter culture optimization, environmental control (e.g. pH, temperature), and continuous process assessment provide more immediate and scalable solutions for controlling microbial communities. Future prospects include microbiome-informed starter cultures, predictive fermentation models and integrated omics-based surveillance, which could transform setopoti from an informal household product into a microbiologically safe, culturally preserved, and economically viable beverage.