What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a tea drink. It is made using the so-called “kombucha” or “tea mushroom”. Actually, it is not a fungus, but a mass of various bacteria and yeasts. This culture ferments sweetened tea into a carbonated drink.
The yeasts and bacteria convert the added sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide as well as acetic, lactic and gluconic acid. This takes a few days. The finished drink tastes sour, contains carbon dioxide and has a low alcohol content of up to two percent.
Kombucha is available to buy as a ready-made drink
The calorie content is usually around 20 kilocalories, and the sugar content is between four and six grams per 100 milliliters. Manufacturers are allowed to advertise kombucha as “low-calorie” if it does not exceed 20 kilocalories per 100 milliliters. However, with a price of usually six euros or more per liter, it is an expensive soft drink.
You can also make the drink yourself
Starter sets are available, for example, in health food stores or on the Internet. If you want to make kombucha yourself, you should pay particular attention to hygiene to avoid mold formation.
What 's behind the promises of effectiveness ?
The tea drink is touted as the “elixir of life,” especially on the Internet. The tea drink is said to strengthen the immune system, regulate blood sugar or improve intestinal function. “Such health-related claims are only permitted if they have been scientifically tested and expressly permitted. So far, no such statement has been approved for kombucha,” says Sandra Reppe from the MV consumer advice center.
Social media or online shops sometimes advertise that the tea drink can cure or prevent cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism or diabetes. There is also no scientific evidence for such statements. Furthermore, disease-related advertising for food is prohibited.
What else is worth knowing??
“Kombucha is not a suitable thirst quencher for children. On the one hand, it is usually made with green or black tea and therefore contains caffeine. On the other hand, it contains alcohol,” says Sandra Reppe.
The alcohol content can be more than one percent, especially if you make your own drink. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid this.
Ready-made commercial tea usually contains less alcohol than home-made tea. From an amount of 1.2 percent by volume, the alcohol content must be stated on the bottle. Some manufacturers voluntarily indicate that their drink contains less than 0.5 percent alcohol. This amount corresponds approximately to the amount of alcohol that is also produced in fruit juices through natural fermentation processes.
Some products say “not pasteurized” on them. If it is important to you that the kombucha still contains living microorganisms, you should pay attention to this.
Conclusion: Kombucha is a type of soft drink, but not a medicine. The drink is not suitable for children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women due to the caffeine and alcohol content.
Source: MV consumer advice center
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Notes:
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