Abstract
BACKGROUND: Kombucha products are now a common, and popular beverage. Increasingly, Kombucha beverages are outpacing popularity of other carbonated beverages on the market, such as soda pop. This increase is seen by many as a positive change of consumer interests, as Kombucha has much less sugar content than many soda pop alternatives. However, Kombucha products are fermented beverages, and therefore are apt to contain ethanol, which may be a hazard for certain at risk populations. This study aims to investigate how information provided on product labels may or may not allow for increased consumer control by making an educated guess about potential ethanol content. METHODS: Kombucha products were placed into 2 groups, Group A (high sugar content), and Group B (low sugar content). Signs of secondary fermentation was then monitored by placing the bottles and cans into incubators at an ideal fermentation temperature. NCSS Statistical Software was used to determine whether or not there was a statistically significant difference between groups. RESULTS: The researcher has inferred that reading sugar content from labels of Kombucha is likely not an effective method to ascertain potential for secondary fermentation leading to higher than expected levels of ethanol. There was not a statistically significant difference between groups A and B where P = 0.366 and power for the test at P value = 0.01 is 0.042. Sample sizes were small, and there were potential errors in experimental design. CONCLUSION: Kombucha remains a healthy choice for consumers. This research reveals that Kombucha, as has been found in previous research, can undergo secondary fermentation when temperature abused leading to higher than expected levels of ethanol in the product. Furthermore, consumers may not be able to rely on nutritional labels as a means to ascertain whether potential health hazards regarding ethanol content exist. Recommendations include increased detail on packaging labels to further elucidate potential for higher than expected ethanol content in Kombucha products.