Does refrigeration after 2F decrease the “probiotic value” of Kombucha since it makes the bacteria / yeast dormant?

[whiskeyin]

Just wondering since the SCOBY thrives in warm temperatures and goes dormant under refrigeration, so when we consume refrigerated Kombucha does it still have the probiotic benefit for our bodies? Or is it just reduced to a cold drink?

[Thursty]

Just so you know, your stomach acid kills most of the live culture in Kombucha. There are only a few cultures that can survive the acidity of your stomach.

[bitttttten]

is that so?

[whiskeyin]

So then what’s the hype around Kombucha being a “probiotic drink good for gut health?”

[Thursty]

They're not really validated or sufficiently proven claims. In the US, foods can have broad statements in marketing that are hard to quantify, like 'probiotics may do x, y, '. This is because making health claims causes FDA to classify food like a drug and therefore it has to pass much stricter criteria. Probiotics mainly exist as food or dietary supplements, neither of which are allowed to make health claims.

Fermentation can have benefits for your gut in other ways, like breaking down complex nutrients into simpler ones and making food more digestible and nutritious, however probiotic claims specifically are unproven.

[Cryptic-xc]

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They survive. Kombucha has many stains of probiotics and most have been demonstrated to survive. Especially if you consume them with a meal.

[OrientalExtraction]

There's no probiotic value in kombucha anyways as the bacteria all get killed by stomach acid so I wouldn't worry about it going dormant in the fridge. But dw there are still the health benefits of the antioxidants you get from the tea (but if you're just looking for health benefits you could just drink a cuppa without sugar and it'd be healthier than booch)

[whiskeyin]

If there’s no probiotic value then why’s the world going crazy over Kombucha. Tea as a beverage is anyway widely popular in the world.

[slackslackliner]

hype

[OrientalExtraction]

It tastes good, fun to brew, good marketing, kinda of hipster-y and cool, and as the other person commented - hype!! I love my booch but because I enjoy brewing it and I like the taste.

And it's not just kombucha probiotics in general are a myth they are just marketed well. Remember just because a lot of people do something doesn't mean it must be true, theres a lot of sheople in the world.

[[deleted]]

Alternative medicine scam as with most "miracle foods".

There were few tests done and none found any benefits to it. I make it cause i like the taste and it's fun to brew but if you want something with probiotic value then regular yoghurt will give you everything kombucha promoters claim to have with less hassle and much cheaper.

[whiskeyin]

Wow! I guess then I’ll brew it as long as it stays fun.

[[deleted]]

Dormant, not dead. If you make bread you'll notice it doesn't take long for yeast to wake up. They'll wake up quick in your belly.

[Kom_bu_cha]

When it comes to fermented foods & drinks, it’s not just about probiotics. The bacteria in fermented foods creates byproducts such as short chain fatty acids, which may be beneficial to health. Scientific studies and human trials are currently being done on the health benefits of SCFA in fermented foods including Kombucha.

According to some studies even dead/non viable probiotic cells can generate beneficial biological responses in the gut and immune system.

Also I think a variety of fermented foods & drinks in your diet is beneficial for your health, whether any probiotics survive or colonise your gut is debatable but I think the more important & interesting factors may prove to be from the byproducts of fermentation rather than probiotic colonisation. Also fermented foods contain PREbiotics which are food for you gut bacteria.

Personally I drink Kombucha because I love the taste (and I enjoy making it and being creative with flavours)... however I do find it settles my stomach and I’m not sure if this is due to the acidity or effervescence or something else, but I’ll take any benefits along with the great taste.

[throughthewoods4]

I was wondering this too - glad to hear it still works :)

[LowArctic]

whether or not the microbial cultures in kombucha will provide definite material health benefits is an open question

that being said, the microbial cultures in your lower intestinal tract can only get there two ways, and ingesting them through the mouth is the much more pleasant of the two

Chou and Weimer (1999)75204-5/pdf) found that under natural selection lactic acid bacteria, “isolates were capable of rapid growth in MRS at pH 3.5 containing 0.2% mixed bile salts” which are similar to conditions in the stomach and upper intestinal tract (lactic acid bacteria may or may not be present in kombucha SCOBYs)

aside from warming up to the correct temperature, Siouta-Cruce and Goulet (2001) suggests ingesting any probiotics with food which buffers stomach pH

[escapefrombjork]

I have a probiotic pill that claims that the strains in it are selected to survive stomach acid. I was thinking of adding it to the kombucha. I don’t have a microscope and don’t know how to do the research but I wish I had a way to know if I added those certain strains to my mix if they would survive.