Can silicone bags make kombucha brewing better?

Researchers found that by fermenting kombucha in silicone bags rather than glass jars, they could shorten the fermentation time and minimize the alcohol content.

Video credits are available on YouTube.

Watch an interview with the researchers

Read an ACS press release about this research: Better kombucha brewing through chemistry

Source Article

“Comprehensive comparison of the dynamics of kombucha fermentation in a silicone bag and a glass jar”
Presented at ACS Spring 2024 on March 17, 2024
Presenter: Kortnie Chamberlain
Principal investigators: Jeb Kegerreis, Ph.D., and John Richardson, Ph.D.

“Investigating the impact of sugar source variation on kombucha fermentation”
Presented at ACS Spring 2024 on March 17, 2024
Presenter: Ian Loscher
Principal investigators: Jeb Kegerreis, Ph.D., and John Richardson, Ph.D.

Transcript

Narrator: Can this gooey glob help make better kombucha?

Kombucha is a fizzy, fermented beverage made with tea, sugar and a mixture of yeast and bacteria. Over time, those microbes will convert sugar into ethanol and then into acids, which give kombucha its tangy flavor.

Researchers found that by fermenting the kombucha in silicone bags instead of glass jars they could shorten the fermentation time and minimize the alcohol content. That’s because silicone allows more oxygen to pass through to the yeast and bacteria, so they work faster to break down the ingredients and produce more acid, with less alcohol left over.

A gooey skin forms around the entire inside of the bag, a sign of happy microbes.

The team measured low levels of alcohol in the finished kombucha. And they’re analyzing how other variables affect the flavor and fermentation process. All to help both home brewers and commercial producers make delicious, reliable kombucha.

The research is being presented at ACS Spring 2024, a meeting of the American Chemical Society.