Shedding Light on the Tea of Immortality: Kombucha

Learn how Kombucha’s Organic Acids composition can impact its flavor and perceived health benefits.

Kombucha, once known as ‘The Tea of Immortality’, has been consumed for more than 2,000 years, but it is only in recent times that its popularity has spread to the USA. Made by fermenting black or green tea and sugar with Kombucha culture, the tea is reminiscent of other effervescent alcoholic drinks. However, it isn’t the taste that attracts most westerners to the drink, but the perceived health benefits.

The reported health benefits of Kombucha are partly attributed to the organic acids it contains, including gluconate and lactate acid. Over recent years, Dr BeiBei Huang, Thermo Fisher Scientific, has worked to determine the organic residues found in Kombucha. As well as helping us gain further understanding of the drink’s benefits, it is thought this research may also aid in production quality control, as organic acid levels can alter the tea’s flavor.

Previous research to establish organic acid levels was limited by the sensitivity of the analysis, as components found in Kombucha interfere with detection. In an interview with SelectScience® at AOAC 2016, Dr Huang explained how she had achieved successful analyte characterization by using the Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ IonPac™ AS11-HC-4µm Column in combination with the Thermo Scientific™ Dionex ICS-5000+ Reagent-Free HPIC System.

By utilizing ion chromatography to separate the organic acids, Dr Huang was able to carry out the analysis at a high resolution, while minimizing interference from sugars and phenols. Following her investigations, Dr Huang found that the Dionex™ IonPac™ AS11-HC-4µm Column was ideal for the separation of organic acids in Kombucha samples.

Watch the full video interview or visit the AOAC special feature to learn more.

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