Preparation and physicochemical analysis of some Ethiopian traditional alcoholic beverages

Ethiopian traditional alcoholic beverages namely tella, tej and areki are very common drinks in the country. Ten (10) alcohol vending houses were considered in the study by considering two from each five sub-cities, purposely for ‘filtered’ tella sampling and five for the unfiltered tella, tej and areki samples. The alcoholic contents of filter-tella, tej and areki were measured and found in the range of 3.84 to 6.48, 8.94 to 13.16 and 33.95 to 39.9% v/v ethanol, respectively. Difference in pH values and ethanol levels among all samples was significant (p<0.05). Variations within samples of each vending houses, coefficient of variation (CV>10%) among all samples were significant, though the variation in pH of the alcohols studied were analyzed and found at drinking range or according to European Brewery Convention. Finally, sensory responses which were taken from the community (people drinking these alcohols), indicated that they are high in aroma (bitterness for tella than other drinks reported).