ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COMMERCIAL KOMBUCHAS

Abstract

Kombucha is a sweet, acidic and slightly carbonated beverage, commonly produced from the aerobic fermentation of black tea sweetened by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY), microbiologically active. Due to the increase in demand for more natural drinks with better nutritional values, Kombucha has gained more notoriety and each time and more research for new technologies, production methods and analysis are made. This work aims to study the physical-chemical analysis of three commercial brands of Kombucha present in the market in the southern region of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The brands were evaluated according to the parameters of alcohol content, total titratable acidity and pH, using as reference Normative Instruction No. 41, of September 17, 2019, published by Brazilian Agricultural Ministry (MAPA). The results were compared with other research on the subject. As a result, values from 3.29 to 3.49 were found for pH and from 0.86 to 1.67% of total titratable acidity, all of them within the established standard. The content of alcohol presented values above the 0.5% allowed for non-alcoholic beverages (between 1.94% and 2.02%). Kombucha has risen a lot in the market, but it is still a very artisanal product, without much repeatability and a good standardization of the production chain. Thus, the analysis carried out in this study can contribute to future standardization of the drink.