Leaves are cut from the plant to obtain natural fibers as the
main product three times a year. The harvest is done at regular
intervals but in different cultivated fields to achieve a constant fiber
production during the year. In previous studies, we could confirm
that the juice coming from the process was diluted during the
rainy season and more concentrated during the dry season. After
48 h, on completion of the fermentation in both series of experiments,
low concentrations remained of reducing sugars, which
were not metabolized by the yeasts. Other sugars present in the
henequen juice are xylose, rafinose and arabinose (unpublished
data).
Table