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Kombucha (Russian: chaynyy grib (чайный гриб), Chinese: chájūn (茶菌), Korean: hongchabeoseotcha (홍차버섯차), Japanese: kōcha-kinoko (紅茶キノコ)), is a lightly effervescent fermented drink of sweetened black and/or green tea that is used as a functional food. It is produced by fermenting the tea using a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY).

Although consuming kombucha has been claimed to have beneficial health effects, there is no high quality evidence to support these claims. Adverse effects related to drinking kombucha have been documented, and reports have raised concern over the potential for contamination during home preparation.

History

Kombucha originated 5,000 years ago in China, where it was known as "Divine Che" (Divine Tea). In 220 BC, during the Tsing Dynasty, the tea was prized as an energizing and detoxifying agent. A Korean doctor named Kombu later brought the tea to the Emperor of Japan in 414 AD as an aid for his digestive difficulties. The drink later spread to east Russia around 1900, and from there, to Europe.

In Russian, the kombucha culture is called chainyy grib чайный гриб (literally "tea fungus/mushroom"), and the fermented drink is called chainyy grib, grib ("fungus; mushroom"), or chainyy kvas чайный квас ("tea kvass"). Kombucha was highly popular and seen as a health food in China in the 1950s and 1960s. Many families grew kombucha at home.

Commercially bottled kombucha became available in the late 1990s.

In 2010, elevated alcohol levels were found in many kombucha products, leading retailers including Whole Foods to temporarily pull the drinks. In response, kombucha suppliers reformulated their products to have lower alcohol levels.

By 2014, annual sales of kombucha beverages exceeded $120 million.

Etymology

In Japan, Konbucha (昆布茶, "kelp tea") refers to a different beverage made from dried and powdered kombu (an edible kelp from the Laminariaceae family). For the origin of the English word kombucha, in use since at least 1991 and of uncertain etymology, the American Heritage Dictionary suggests: "Probably from Japanese kombucha, tea made from kombu (the Japanese word for kelp perhaps being used by English speakers to designate fermented tea due to confusion or because the thick gelatinous film produced by the kombucha culture was thought to resemble seaweed)."

The Japanese name for what English speakers know as kombucha is kōcha kinoko 紅茶キノコ (literally, 'black tea mushroom'), compounding kōcha "black tea" and kinoko 茸 "mushroom; toadstool". The Chinese names for kombucha are hóngchájùn 红茶菌 ('red tea fungus'), cháméijūn 茶黴菌 ('tea mold'), or hóngchágū 红茶菇 ('red tea mushroom'), with jūn 菌 'fungus, bacterium or germ' (or jùn 'mushroom'), méijūn 黴菌 'mold or fungus', and gū 菇 'mushroom'. ("Red tea", 紅茶, in Chinese languages corresponds to English "black tea".)

A 1965 mycological study called kombucha "tea fungus" and listed other names: "teeschwamm, Japanese or Indonesian tea fungus, kombucha, wunderpilz, hongo, cajnij, fungus japonicus, and teekwass". Some further spellings and synonyms include combucha and tschambucco, and haipao, kargasok tea, kwassan, Manchurian fungus or mushroom, spumonto, as well as the misnomers champagne of life, and chai from the sea.

Kombucha's English name is derived from Japanese. According to folklore, it was introduced to Japan by a Korean doctor named Kombu as a health tonic.

Health effects

Kombucha has been promoted with claims that it can treat a variety of human illnesses including AIDS, cancer, and diabetes, and that it can stimulate the immune system. Although laboratory experiments are suggestive of possible health effects, no human trials have been conducted to confirm beneficial health effects and there is no evidence that kombucha consumption benefits human health.

The consumption of Kombucha has been associated with adverse effects including muscle inflammation, poisoning, infection, and the death of at least one person. Some adverse health effects may be due to the acidity of the tea; brewers have been cautioned to avoid over-fermentation. Topical use of the tea has been associated with anthrax infection on the skin, but the Kombucha may have been contaminated during storage. Edzard Ernst, the world's first Professor of Complementary Medicine, made the case in a systematic review that the mostly unclear benefits do not outweigh the known risks.

Chemical and biological properties

A kombucha culture is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), containing Acetobacter (a genus of acetic acid bacteria) and one or more yeasts, which form a zoogleal mat. In Chinese, the microbial culture is called haomo in Cantonese, or jiaomu in Mandarin, (Chinese: 酵母; lit. 'fermentation mother').

Kombucha cultures may contain one or more of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii, and Zygosaccharomyces bailii.

Although the bacterial component of a kombucha culture comprises several species, it almost always includes Gluconacetobacter xylinus (formerly Acetobacter xylinum), which ferments the alcohol(s) produced by the yeast(s) into acetic acid, increasing the acidity while limiting the kombucha's alcoholic content. The number of bacteria and yeasts that were found to produce acetic acid increased for the first four days of fermentation, decreasing thereafter. Sucrose gets broken down into fructose and glucose, and the bacteria and yeast convert the glucose and fructose into gluconic acid and acetic acid, respectively. G. xylinum is responsible for most or all of the physical structure of a kombucha mother, and has been shown to produce microbial cellulose, likely due to selection over time for firmer and more robust cultures by brewers.

Along with multiple species of yeast and bacteria, Kombucha contains organic acids, enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols they produce. The exact quantities of these items vary between samples, but may contain: acetic acid, ethanol, gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, glycerol, lactic acid, usnic acid and B-vitamins. Kombucha has also been found to contain about 1.51 mg/mL of vitamin C.

According to the American Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, some kombucha products contain more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, but some contain less.

Kombucha tea has antioxidant properties and has been called a functional food.

Other uses

Kombucha culture, when dried, becomes a leather-like textile known as a microbial cellulose that can be molded onto forms to create seamless clothing. Using different broth mediums such as coffee, black tea, and green tea to grow the kombucha culture results in different textile colors, although the textile can also by dyed using plant-based dyes., Different growth mediums and dyes also change the textile's feel and texture. The kombucha textile is similar to cellulose and is sustainable and compostable. London-based fashion designer Suzanne Lee presented kombucha textiles in shoes and clothing in 2011 and in 2014, designer Sacha Laurin debuted a clothing collection made entirely out of kombucha textile.

See also

• Kefir
• List of ineffective cancer treatments
• Tibicos

References

1. ^ Jayabalan, R; Malbaša, RV; Lončar, ES; Vitas, JS; Sathishkumar, M (July 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): 538–50. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12073.
2. ^ Ernst, E (April 2003). "Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence". Forschende Komplementarmedizin und klassische Naturheilkunde = Research in complementary and natural classical medicine. 10 (2): 85–7. PMID 12808367.
3. Greenwalt, CJ; Steinkraus, KH; Ledford, RA (July 2000). "Kombucha, the fermented tea: microbiology, composition, and claimed health effects". Journal of food protection. 63 (7): 976–81. PMID 10914673.
4. Dufresne, C. "Tea, Kombucha, and health: a review". Science Direct. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
5. ^ Sreeramulu, G; Zhu, Y; Knol, W (2000). "Kombucha fermentation and its antimicrobial activity". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 48 (6): 2589–94. doi:10.1021/jf991333m. PMID 10888589.
6. Wollan, Malia (24 March 2010). "A Strange Brew May Be a Good Thing". NYTimes. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
7. Rothman, Max (2 May 2013). "'Kombucha Crisis' Fuels Progress". Bevnet. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
8. Carr, Coeli (9 August 2014). "Kombucha cha-ching: A probiotic tea fizzes up strong growth". CNBC. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
9. Wong, Crystal. (12 July 2007). "U.S. 'kombucha': Smelly and No Kelp". Japan Times. Retrieved 14 June 2015..
10. O'Neill, Molly (28 December 1994). "A Magic Mushroom Or a Toxic Fad?". New York Times. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
11. Algeo, John; Algeo, Adele (1997). "Among the New Words". American Speech. 72 (2): 183–97. doi:10.2307/455789. JSTOR 455789.
12. American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed. 2000, updated 2009, Houghton Mifflin Company. kombucha, TheFreeDictionary.com.
13. Hesseltine, C. W. (1965). "A Millennium of Fungi, Food, and Fermentation". Mycologia. 57 (2): 149–97. doi:10.2307/3756821. JSTOR 3756821. PMID 14261924.
14. ^ "Kombucha". Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 22 May 2014. Retrieved June 2015. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
15. Cite error: The named reference trendy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
16. Vīna I, Semjonovs P, Linde R, Deniņa I (2014). "Current evidence on physiological activity and expected health effects of kombucha fermented beverage". J Med Food (Review). 17 (2): 179–88. doi:10.1089/jmf.2013.0031. PMID 24192111.
17. Dasgupta A (2011). Chapter 11: Toxic and Dangerous Herbs. Walter de Gruyter. p. 111. ISBN 978-3-11-024561-5. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
18. Bryant BJ, Knights KM (2011). Chapter 3: Over-the-counter Drugs and Complementary Therapies (3rd ed.). Elsevier Australia. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7295-3929-6. Kombucha has been associated with illnesses and death. A tea made from Kombucha is said to be a tonic, but several people have been hospitalised and at least one woman died after taking this product. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
19. Nummer, Brian A. (2013). "Kombucha Brewing Under the Food and Drug Administration Model Food Code: Risk Analysis and Processing Guidance". Journal of Environmental Health. 76 (4).
20. Nguyen, VT; Flanagan, B; Gidley, MJ; Dykes, GA (2008). "Characterization of cellulose production by a gluconacetobacter xylinus strain from kombucha". Current Microbiology. 57 (5): 449–53. doi:10.1007/s00284-008-9228-3. PMID 18704575.
21. Teoh, AL; Heard, G; Cox, J (2004). "Yeast ecology of kombucha fermentation". International Journal of Food Microbiology. 95 (2): 119–26. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.12.020. PMID 15282124.
22. Dufresne, C; Farnworth, E (2000). "Tea, kombucha, and health: A review". Food Research International. 33 (6): 409. doi:10.1016/S0963-9969(00)00067-3.
23. Velicanski, A; Cvetkovic, D; Markov, S; Tumbas, V; Savatovic, S (2007). "Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemon balm Kombucha". Acta Periodica Technologica (38): 165–72. doi:10.2298/APT0738165V. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |displayauthors= ignored (|display-authors= suggested) (help)
24. Bauer-Petrovska, B; Petrushevska-Tozi, L (2000). "Mineral and water soluble vitamin content in the kombucha drink". International Journal of Food Science & Technology. 35 (2): 201–5. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2621.2000.00342.x.
25. "Kombucha FAQs" (PDF). Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Retrieved August 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
26. Grushkin, Daniel (17 February 2015). "Meet the Woman Who Wants to Grow Clothing in a Lab". Popular Science. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
27. Oiljala, Leena (9 September 2014). "BIOCOUTURE Creates Kombucha Mushroom Fabric For Fashion & Architecture". Pratt Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
28. ^ Hinchliffe, Jessica (25 September 2014). "'Scary and gross': Queensland fashion students grow garments in jars with kombucha". ABCNet.net.au. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
29. ^ Mandelkern, India (22 Nov 2013). "Can Kombucha Couture Save the World?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
30. "Suzanne Lee: Grow your own clothes". TED2011. March 2011.

Further reading

• Dasgupta A, Sepulveda JL (2013). Other Supplements that Cause Liver Damage. Elsevier. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-0-12-415858-0. the limited evidence currently available raises safety concerns, especally regarding potential hepatotoxicty and the possibility of life-threatening lactic acidosis {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Frank, Günther W. (1995). Kombucha: Healthy Beverage and Natural Remedy from the Far East, Its Correct Preparation and Use. Steyr: Pub. House W. Ennsthaler. ISBN 978-3-85068-337-1.

External links

• A microscope video of concentrated tea after a few hours on the slide
• A microscope video of fresh tea, more typical of the finished product that people drink

• Carbonated drinks
• Chinese tea
• Fermented beverages
• Mycology
• Blended tea
• Toxicology