Course:FNH200/Projects/2021/Kombucha

From UBC Wiki
Glass bottled kombucha
Remedy Kombucha Nutrition Facts & Ingredients
SCOBY culture used to make kombucha

Introduction

Kombucha is fermented tea that is made from sweetened black or green tea with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast called a SCOBY. The origins of this drink can be traced back for centuries in Asian and European countries. Recently, kombucha has risen in popularity in North America because of the proposed health benefits of the tea and as an alternative to sugary carbonated soft drinks.

How It's Made

Processing

Remedy prepares their kombucha by brewing a mixture of sugar, black and green tea. Once the brewing process has finished, tea leaves are then discarded. After the tea has cooled the SCOBY culture is added. Next, the kombucha will begin its 30 day fermentation process in a warm environment, typically at 20-21 degrees celsius.[1] Due to the long fermentation process the sugars added in the beginning act as feeding material for the SCOBY culture, thus, as advertised, there is no sugar in the final product. Additional constituents such as lemon juice, mint extract, lime and stevia leaf extract are added to enhance the flavour of the product.[2] In order to maintain the natural flavours of kombucha Remedy does not pasteurize their drink. The SCOBY that is added to the sweetened tea serves as a catalyst for the fermentation process and both the acidic conditions of the drink and the sugar serve as a natural preservative. [3] While the unfermented tea components have antimicrobial properties to prevent spoilage.[4]

Brewing Kombucha at Home

Optimal temperatures for the fermentation of kombucha is between 20-21 degrees celsius, it is important not to ferment in the sun when making homemade kombucha because this can cause inconsistent temperatures which are too warm for the culture to function at its optimal rate, creating an inhospitable environment for the very bacteria and yeast you're trying to help grow.[1] It is best to reserve a cool dark corner or cabinet in the kitchen in which the kombucha can ferment over time. When beginning a homemade batch of kombucha, it is extremely important that heat is used to sterilize any containers in order to maintain safe consumption, this can be done by bringing water to a complete boil before adding tea of choice.[5] Kombucha is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), which is quite similar to the mother of vinegar because it contains one or more species of both bacteria and yeasts.[6][7] Culturing can take place in either 5-7 days (short ferment) or 3-4 weeks (long ferment). A shorter culture time will cause the beverage to be sweeter than a longer culture time which causes the yeast to eat all the sugar making it more acidic and vinegar-like. Thereafter, the kombucha can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.[8]

Regulation

Kombucha has a low pH, making the growth of unfavourable microorganisms hard, however, contamination with such organisms can still arise, which is why regular testing and evaluation is important to ensure safe practices are put into place from the manufacturing through to the production of the product. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is in charge of monitoring food supplies across Canada to ensure that all safety standards and practices are being employed, working with the federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to ensure all measures are effective at various levels. Targeted surveys are conducted by the CFIA, allowing them to access which areas are due for closer inspection based on the samples gathered and inspected in those regions. The samples are collected from major cities across Canada and factors in their population levels. As of currently there are no set assessment guidelines for kombucha, however, bacterial strains such as Salmonella spp. and E. coli are unacceptable in any case as this would violate standards of the Food and Drugs Act.[9]

Canadian guidelines have specific labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages. In Canada, if a beverage exceeds 1.1% it is subjected to labelling requirements under Food and Drugs Act (FDA), Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) in addition to specific requirements from Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).[10] Although the fermentation process produces ethanol, most of the kombucha sold on the market falls below the 1.1% alcohol content so it is not considered an alcoholic beverage.

Ingredients

Ingredients: Remedy Organic Kombucha Lemon, Lime & Mint
Ingredient: Raw Kombucha Function
Carbonated Water
Raw Sugar Fermentation process: Feed Kombucha Culture (SCOBY)
Black Tea Fermentation process: Feed Kombucha Culture (SCOBY)
Green Tea Fermentation process: Feed Kombucha Culture (SCOBY)
Kombucha Culture (Bacterial and Yeast Culture) Fermentation process
Erythritol Sweetener
Lemon Juice Flavouring
Mint Extract Flavouring
Lime Flavouring
Stevia Leaf Extract Flavouring

Consumption in Canada

There has been an increase of availability and supply of kombucha in Canada over the past three years. Many breweries have opened in Canada: Alive Kombucha in New Brunswick, Rise in Montreal, and other name brands that have spread across Canada. Namely, Rise Montreal has managed to expand into the United States, although a big portion of kombucha market share in Canada is held by GT Dave's kombucha company and also the Tonica brand.

Consumers vastly prefer flavour-infused kombucha over raw, original and un-flavoured kombucha; health stores have also been adopting the fermented drink as a featured product.

Companies are now also investing heavily on advertising via social media, and it is projected that the Canadian (North American) market will have steady growth in the future years. Currently, North America holds a majority in the global market share of kombucha.[11]

It is very hard to find regional information; the market cap and dollar numbers are either in the context of the US market or global market. Not many journalists have reported upon the national kombucha consumption in Canada, though many have indicated that Montreal is one of the hot spots for kombucha culture.[12] Vancouver (and British Columbia by extension) is also very invested in the growth of kombucha, though the city is mostly consuming, not producing (lack of local breweries / brands).

How It's Digested

Fermentation has been around for thousands of years and is an important process for making kombucha because it helps to preserve and contributes to its characteristic qualities such as the carbonation of the drink. Fermented foods are known to be beneficial to our gut microbiome as they are a source of dietary probiotics and are full of antioxidants, which all help to improve immune function and increase food digestion.[13] Kombucha lovers far and wide claim that the beverage helps with digestion, rids the body of toxins, and boosts energy levels. It is also said that it helps with immune function, weight loss, decreases blood pressure, heart disease, and can even be anticarcinogenic! At this time there is still very little evidence to support these claims.[14] A 175 ml serving of kombucha typically contains about three grams of carbohydrates, five milligrams of sodium, and three grams of sugar while also fat free.[15] In a typical kombucha, there will be no % daily value (DV) trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium. The protein stays relatively low at around 3% right along with the vitamins and minerals. Depending on the type of tea used, the caffeine level can be quite high.[15]

Storage

Kombucha beverages must be kept refrigerated since they contain sugar, which will ferment in the bottle if left out unrefrigerated. This can lead to a build-up of pressure as well as an increase in alcohol content.[16] Remedy has a unique formula in comparison to other kombuchas since it brews off all its sugar, eliminating the possibility of refermentation.[17] Due to the fact that all of the raw organic sugar is converted into beneficial organic acids throughout the brewing process, Remedy's kombucha beverages can be stored and served at any temperature.[18] Their living cultures also stay healthy throughout the brewing process, extending the shelf life of the finished product.[19] Remedy kombucha products are packaged and available in cans in the soft drink aisle as well as bottles in the fridge in many stores. Both are made from the same formula and go through the same brewing process. Regardless of its packaging, Remedy recommends serving their kombucha drinks chilled, however, they can be served at any temperature the customer prefers.

Exam Question

What are some ways we can make kombucha a safer drink?

  1. Pasteurization
  2. UHT
  3. Distillation
  4. Sealed in a tin can


*Correct answer is 1*

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ingham, Barbara (Jun 3, 2014). "Safe Preserving: Kombucha: What you need to know". University of Wisconsion-Madison.
  2. ↑ "How We Brew Our Booch". Remedy Drinks. Aug 8,2021. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ↑ Villarreal-Soto, Silvia; Beaufort, Sandra; Bouajila, Jalloul; Souchard, Jean-Pierre; Taillandier, Patricia (Mar 6, 2021). "Understanding Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review". Journal of Food Science. 83 (3): 580–588 – via Wiley Online Library.
  4. ↑ Greenwalt, C.J; Ledford, R.A; Steinkraus, KH (Apr 1998). "Determination and Characterization of the Antimicrobial Activity of the Fermented TeaKombucha". LWT - Food Science and Technology. 31 (3): 291–296 – via Elsevier.
  5. ↑ Gowans, Jody (Mar 5, 2018). "SCOBY Care: How to start and maintain a kombucha SCOBY "hotel"". The Cultured Foodie.
  6. ↑ Kruk, Marcin; Trzashowska, Monika; Scibisz, Iwona; Pokorski, Patryk (Dec 19, 2020). "Application of the "SCOBY" and Kombucha Tea for the Production of Fermented Milk Drinks". Microorganisms. 9: 123 – via MDPI.
  7. ↑ "What is in Kombucha". Cultures for Health. Dec 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ Radaich, Megan (Sept, 2014). "Kombucha". Food Preserving. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ↑ "Bacterial Pathogens in Fermented Tea (Kombucha) - April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019". Inspection Canada. Mar 31, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages". Canada. Jul 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "North America Kombucha Market Forecast 2019-2028". Market Research. October, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2021. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ Henriques, Brittany (August 2, 2019). "Montreal is hosting an international kombucha festival". Global News. Retrieved Auguest 10, 2021. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  13. ↑ Kapp, Julie; Sumner, Walton (Feb 2019). "Kombucha: a systematic review of the empirical evidence of human health benefit". Annals of Epidemiology. 30: 66–70 – via Elsevier.
  14. ↑ Jayabalan, Rasu; Malbasa, Radomir; Loncar, Eva; Vitas, Jasmina; Sathishkumar, Muthuswamy (Jun 21, 2014). "A Review on Kombucha Tea-Microbiology, Composition, Fermentation, Beneficial Effects, Toxicity, and Tea Fungus". Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 13 (4): 538–550 – via Wiley Online Library.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Kombucha". nutritionix. Aug 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Remedy FAQ: "Why do other kombucha brands have to be kept refrigerated?"". Remedy Drinks. 2019.
  17. ↑ "Remedy FAQ: "Why do other kombucha brands have to be kept refrigerated?"". Remedy Drinks. 2019.
  18. ↑ "Remedy FAQ: "Should I keep Remedy drinks in or out of the fridge?"". Remedy Drinks. 2019.
  19. ↑ "Remedy FAQ: "Should I keep Remedy drinks in or out of the fridge?"". Remedy Drinks. 2019.
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