You might not have giving any thought to burukutu and pito, two indigenous alcoholicbeverages before? Many just assume that all there is to these drinks alcohol. But, it is also medicinal if prepared appropriately.

Traditional medicine practitioners in Ilorin use unfermented pito plus adoyo to treat different kinds of aliments including typhoid and paratyphoid fever, dysentery, malaria and diarrhea.

Unfermented pito plus adoyo are indigenously produced in Ilorin mainly from plant extracts; the bark of mango tree, cashew tree bark and tea leaf. The process of production of unfermented pito involves steeping and boiling guinea corn (Sorghum vulgare and Sorghum bicolor).  Adoyo is produced from ripe pineapple juice and supernant derived form ogi (ogi is a fermented product, made from sorghum or maize).

Unfermented pito mixed with adoyo is served as a drink and cannot be described as fermented alcoholic beverage by every sense of the word because its process of production does not involve fermentation.

This is unlike burukutu and pito that are involves fermentation using organisms such as yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces chavelieria) and Leuconostoc mesteroides.

Researchers looking at the nutritional composition and microbial analysis of unfermented pito that hadadoyo added to it and this fermented alcoholic versions found out that they contained mineral elements such as calcium, magnesium and iron that were essential for regulating and building the living cells and aid in fighting depression.

Calcium is essential for building the living cells that make up the human body balanced; it promotes a healthier cardiovascular system they help in maintaining the volume of water necessary for life processes maintaining.

Magnesium helps in keeping the muscle relaxed and the formation of strong bones and teeth. It helps to control the blood pressure and nerve transmitter. Iron is an important element that is necessary in the heamoglobin of the red blood cells and myoglobin in the muscle.

This 2007 study published African Journal of Biotechnology was entitled Proximate and microbial analyses of burukutu and pito. It was carried out by researchers from the University of Ilorin, namely Drs. O.M Kolawole and B.I Akinduyo from the Department of Microbiology in collaboration with Dr. R.M Kayode from the Department of Animal Production.

From the study, the researchers stated that although unfermented pito and pito that contains adoyo do not contain any iron constituents,

Although unfermented pito laced adoyo is used by traditional medicine practitioners to treat different kinds of aliments including typhoid and paratyphoid fever, dysentery, malaria and diarrhea, the researchers pointed out their content of disease-causing germs indicated that people be cautious of its use.

The microorganisms isolated from the samples included Staphylococcus aureus, Esherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus species, Proteus species, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Saccharomyce cerevisiae and Mucor species.

They explained that the presence of S. aureus in the samples may be attributed to handling during production. S. aureus is a normal flora of the skin and mucus membrane and a common etiological agent of septic arthritis.

E. coli is part of the normal flora of the intestine of human and vertebrates. Some strains of E. coli can cause gastroenteritis and urinary tract infection as well as diarrhea in infant.

In preparing pito, sorghum grains were soaked in water for 48 hours, washed and excess water was drained. The grains were allowed to sit for five days in a basket lined with banana leaves. The malted grains were grinded and mixed with water. The mixture was boiled and allowed to cool; it was filtered with a fine mesh. The filtrate obtained is left to stand overnight. The mixture is boiled and allowed to cool.

Unfermented pito is prepared by steeping the bark of mango tree in water for seven hours. A small quantity of cashew bark is boiled with tea leaf (Cameia species) for two hours after which grinded roasted maize (Zea mays) was added. The mixture filtered and allowed to cool. Sugar was added to taste.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) consist of micro-organisms important in food fermentation. In Nigeria, LAB is involved in the fermentation of two main substrates: cassava and cereals. Cereals are fermented into ogi, burukutu and pito (indigenous beer) and kunu (a beverage). However, Lactobacillus acidophilus, a gut inhabiting LAB has not been isolated as natural micro-organism in any of the food items.

Experts have documented the importance of this micro-organism as probiotic. They found out that inclusion of strain of Lact acidophilus in the fermentation of ogi, a popular fermented maize meal eaten as breakfast cereal can serve as a medium of delivery of Lact acidophilus just as indigenous beverages like pito

According to Drs. Olugbenga Obajimi Adebawo, Yemi Banjoko and Tola Osilesi from the department of Biochemistry, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ikenne, local beverages can be used as medium to deliver friendly germs like Lactobacillus acidophilus as probiotics to lower blood cholesterol level. This was published in the 2008 edition of .The FASEB journal

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