Kombucha: Technology, microbiology, production, composition and therapeutic value



Authors:
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Abstract:
Kombucha, Tea Kvass, Japanese or Indonesian tea fungus, and Manchurian are the most common names for the symbiotic association of bacteria and osmophilic yeast in the form of thick jelly membrane, which is cultured in sugared tea. It is slightly sweet, acetic acid-flavoured beverage also called tea eider the traditional substrate for kombucha preparation is black tea sweetened with 5 to 15% of sucrose and produced from 6 to 10 days of fermentation under aerobic conditions, at a temperature range of 20 to 30C. The fermentation is two steps fermentation in which, the yeasts ferment the sugar to ethanol, which is further oxidised by the acetic acid bacteria to produce acetic acid, which reduces the pH of the medium.Except black tea, diff erent types of other tea's such as orthodox tea and herbal tea have been used for the production of apple tea wine, using natural and inoculated fermentation. Besides acetic acid, the fermented liquid contains gluconic, glucuronic, and lactic acid; among them, all glucuronic acid is the main therapeutic agent in Kombucha.Kombucha metabolism produces glucose, fructose, small amounts of ethanol, carbon-dioxide, vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, different organic acids, mainly acetic, gluconic, L-lactic, glucuronic, enzymes and some antibiotically active compounds, and many others. Beverage also contains most of tea ingredients like tea catechines and caffeine. The beverage has been claimed is considered a prophylactic agent and is considered beneficial to human health.

Keywords: acetic acid, black tea, caffeine, ethanol, fructose, glucose, glucuronic acid, lactic acid, organic acids, ph, sucrose, temperature, vitamin



Country: India

Citation: Intl. J. Food. Ferment. Technol. 6(1): 13-24, June, 2016

Study Mailing Address:
Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab,
India

Date Updated: January 20, 2021

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