Physicochemical and Microbial Profile of Tej Collected From Central Ethiopia

Ethiopia has a diversified beekeeping culture with significant honey production. Honey is one of the ingredients of Tej , a popular traditionally fermented alcoholic beverage. Despite the country′s huge potential for honey and Tej production, limited research has been conducted on the microbial quality and physicochemical composition of Tej . Thus, this study is aimed at evaluating the microbial composition and physicochemical composition of Tej . A total of 99 Tej samples were collected from Central Ethiopia, and their microbial quality and physicochemical parameters were assessed using standard protocols. Tej samples exhibited acidic properties with pH ranging from 3.56 ± 0.02 to 3.86 ± 0.08. The moisture contents of the Tej samples were over 87%. Significantly lower ( p < 0.05) moisture contents were recorded for Tej samples collected from two sampling sites, Sululta and Holeta. The alcohol contents of Tej samples collected from Alemgena and Sululta were significantly ( p < 0.05) higher than the samples collected from the other sampling sites. The ash contents and electrical conductivity showed no significant variation across sampling sites ( p > 0.05) for the Tej samples. Microbial analysis revealed average counts of 4.70 ± 0.02 to 7.21 ± 0.01 log CFU/mL for lactic acid bacteria (LAB), 5.50 ± 0.79 to 6.93 ± 0.05 log CFU/mL for aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), and 5.80 ± 0.26 to 6.90 ± 0.17 log CFU/mL for yeast and molds. Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic spore‐forming bacteria (ASFB) were within the acceptable limits of < 2.0 and 4.0 log CFU/mL, respectively. Tej samples exhibited good physicochemical quality; however, the elevated levels of AMB, yeasts and molds indicated potential concern regarding the overall quality of the beverage. This finding shows the importance of controlled production of the beverage using starter cultures to ensure product safety.