Insights into the fermentation biochemistry of Kombucha teas and potential impacts of Kombucha drinking on starch digestion

• Published in: Food research international 2012-11, Vol.49 (1), p.226-232
• Main Authors: Kallel, Lina, Desseaux, Véronique, Hamdi, Moktar, Stocker, Pierre, Ajandouz, El Hassan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acetates; alpha-amylase; Alpha-amylase inhibition; beverages; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; cellulose; Chemical Sciences; Coffee, tea and other stimulative beverage industries; Digestion; drinking; ethanol; Ethyl alcohol; Fermentation; flavanols; Food industries; Fructose; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucose; Green and black teas; hydrolysis; Kombucha fermentation; Metabolites; Phenolics; polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; small intestine; starch; Starch and starchy product industries; Starches; sucrose; swine; Tea; theaflavins
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2012.08.018

The biochemistry of Kombucha fermentation was analyzed using green and black teas (GTK and BTK). Sucrose disappeared linearly in Kombucha mediums during the two week fermentation period for GTK (2.3g.day−1.L−1) but only during the first week for BTK (5.0g.d−1.L−1). The produced glucose and fructose formed disappeared faster in BTK than in GTK and in both fermentation mediums glucose was preferred to fructose as the carbon source. Ethanol, acetate equivalents and cellulose linearly increased during the fermentation (0.17, 0.35 and 0.50g.d−1.L−1 in GTK, and 0.15, 0.46 and 0.63g.d−1.L−1 in BTK, respectively). Likewise, the disappearance of glucose+fructose in Kombucha first linearly increased during the first stages of fermentation before it dropped at day 9 for GTK and at day 12 for BTK, suggesting a change of the carbon source. The protein fraction (