The aim of the project, carried out in cooperation between researchers and the company, is to develop a technology for producing kombucha with an attractive taste and aroma, an enhanced health-boosting effect and extended shelf life, compared to beverages of this type available on the market.
- Kombucha is obtained as a result of fermentation of sweetened green, yellow, red, or black tea with the participation of symbiotic cultures of microorganisms forming the so-called "tea fungus", explains Assoc. Prof. Eng. Edyta Kordialik-Bogacka, TUL Prof. who heads the research conducted at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences at the Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology. - A big problem for producers of this drink, both in Poland and abroad, is achieving repeatability of chemical parameters and sensory properties. Moreover, kombucha, which contains live microorganisms, needs to be stored and transported in refrigerated conditions, and its pasteurisation adversely affects the bioactive compounds present in the drink.
As the project implementers explain, a new approach to the problem of kombucha stabilisation is the use of extracts or pure bioactive substances of plant origin. This will improve the microbiological stability and taste and aroma of the drink, as well as its health-promoting properties. This will also be possible by replacing hot brewing with cold extraction of tea leaves and using newly acquired microorganism strains.
According to Dominik Filipiak, CEO of FL
- International trends, slow food and smart food movements without a scientific background may remain a myth or a craft curiosity. Thanks to our cooperation with Lodz University of Technology, we avoid mistakes while looking for novelties, and we quickly eliminate dead ends after analysing research results. The beverage buyer receives a functional product that is competitive and attractive.
The kombucha market is one of the fastest growing among functional beverages. Those implementing the project believe that due to the richness of bioactive compounds contained in this drink and the fashion for healthy living, it is almost certain that the market success achieved by kombucha in developed Western markets will be repeated in Poland.