Kombucha Extract

 

Kombucha, also known as black tea mushroom, tea mushroom, is named because it is commonly cultivated in sweetened black tea. Kombucha is not a single species of bacteria, nor is it a mushroom. Analysis shows that it is a symbiotic organism of the genera Saccharomyces, Acetobacter, and Lactobacillus, among which acetic acid bacteria is the most abundant. This symbiotic organism is called SCOBY, which stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. These bacteria use the sugar in the tea soup and the tannins in the black tea as nutrients to produce alcohol and acetic acid. Under a microscope, rod-shaped lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and granular yeast can be seen attached to a thin film. If cultured properly, the film will gradually form large mushroom-shaped "tea mushrooms."