Collecting pina core samples from agave

[mezcal]

Hi everyone,

I registered to this forum because I was hoping someone can help me with a very specific question:

I have about 500 agave plants of various species and various ages. I want to experiment and make some alcoholic beverages from them. Not commercially, more as a hobby. To start my endeavor, I would like to know the sugar content between the species and ages and how they compare against each other. I'm thinking of the following:
- Cut off some leaves to reveal the pina
- Collect one or two core samples from the pina
- Seal the hole with wax
- Measure the brix from the collected sample

I already harvested three plants completely (lots of work) and measured the brix. It appears that there is more sugar in the centre of the pina, whereas the outside of the pina is more "diluted", probably because of more "leafy" material growing there. If I could get a complete core from the pina, I could separate it in multiple parts (outside, inside, centre) and measure each individual brix value.

Can anyone help me on how to collect a complete pina core? I was thinking of a long drill borer. But I'm unsure on how to remove the core once I drilled into it. Has anyone practical experience with collecting pina cores?

Overall, I just want to get accurate readings to get an understanding which species and plants are worth harvesting. I don't want to remove 50 plants, just to realise that certain groups have little sugar concentrations and will yield low alcohol. It makes more sense to start harvesting with the highest sugar concentration group and the other plants can continue to grow in the meantime.

[Melt in the Sun]

My first thought is the tool used to extract cores for tree ring studies, but that may not work well on relatively soft agave flesh. Or, may not give you a large enough sample. It's not a cheap tool but may be worth a try.

[Paul S]

How about an apple corer? You need to extend the handle somewhat the method of which would obvs vary depending upon what the material was.

[edds]

Aluminium pipe in around a 10mm diameter might be a good thing to try?

[Melt in the Sun]

Actually that's a way better idea than mine. Get a drill, the largest piece of thin-wall pipe you can fit in the chuck, and you could file some crude cutting teeth into one end. That should give you a nice juicy core.

[Papahuel]

I assume someone with the handle "mezcal" knows there will be virtually no fermentable sugars in a raw agave core sample.

They need to undergo hydrolysis in some way, be it cooked in a pit, cooked in a brick oven, autoclave or chemically (diffuser).

Also taking core samples from young agave may not give the most useful results as it is only upon reaching maturity, which varies time wise massively between species, that agaves concentrate the most starches/ long chain sugars in their cores/'pinas'.

[Papahuel]

Oh and tequiliana and angustifolia are the quickest growing/maturing species for making alcohol from, you don't need to do core sampling to answer that question.

That being said the best alcohol made from agave always comes from mature plants, especially ones that have been "capón"ed, harvesting immature plants, regardless of species or starch/sugar content is going to result in sub standard product. Sadly these days most tequila/mezcal is not made this way due to demand and producers rushing to line their pockets.

[Mezcalomics]

Hi! I know this was from a long time ago, but I'm wondering if you were able to collect your core samples and measure the brix that way for your agaves. Would love to learn more about what you did with them.

I'm interested in doing some genetic sequencing of agave, as I work for a company that does that + have a passion for tequila, and would love to chat if you're open to it. Please let me know!