Abstract
Sobia is a traditional locally made fermented beverage consumed in Saudi
Arabia and made by the fermentation of wheat. We aimed to measure ethanol
concentration in Sobia beverage stored under different conditions. Forty-eight
freshly made Sobia samples were purchased from different vendors. Twenty-four samples were stored at room temperature (RT: 21–25°C), and another 24
samples at a cold temperature (CT: 2–8°C). Ethanol was measured in RT samples
on 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 days, and on 0, 4, 7, and 14 days in CT samples. The mean ±
SE ethanol at zero-time for all 48 samples was 27.2 ± 7.2 mg/dL. Ethanol
concentration increased to 121.8 ± 33.5 mg/dL on day 14 at CT, compared to
514.0 ± 91.9 mg/dL after one week at RT. Sobia can be categorized as Halal
beverage, and can be consumed within two weeks when stored at a CT
Keywords
Sobia
Saudi Arabia
Alcohol
Ethanol