Agave tequilana Agave tequilana Agave tequilana, commonly called blue agave () or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico, due to its role as the base ingredient of tequila, a popular distilled beverage. The high production of sugars, mostly fructose, in the core of the plant is the main characteristic that makes it suitable for the preparation of alcoholic beverages. The tequila agave is native to the states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Aguascalientes in Mexico. The plant favors altitudes of more than and grows in rich and sandy soils. Blue agave plants grow
Tequila hydrolysis of methylated pectin which is naturally present in the agave plant, but there has been speculations that it is also partly produced from the enzymatic reactions of yeast strains containing pectin methyl esterase enzyme which break up the methoxyl group from the pectin. Nearly 50 different esters identified in tequila which together give rise to the fruit like flavors and smell. One of the most abundant esters is ethyl acetate which is synthesized during fermentation by the yeast "Saccharomyces cerevisiae," using alcohol transferase enzyme which links acetic acid to ethanol. In general, the longer the controlled fermentation period, the