Bacteria associated to human saliva are major microbial components of Ecuadorian indigenous beers (chicha)

Artisanal beers (chichas) are part of the indigenous culture in Ecuador. The fermentation process of these beers relay probably on microorganisms from fermenting substrates, environment and human microbiota. Therefore, the microbiota of chichas (including a type of beer produced after chewing boiled cassava) was analyzed using bTEFAP. Surprisingly, we found that Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus mutans (part of the human oral microbiota) were among the most abundant bacteria in chewed cassava and in non-chewed cassava beers.