Alcohol is a natural and inevitable byproduct of the fermentation process that occurs when brewing kombucha.
Guttzee does have low level residual levels of alcohol but it will always be below 0.5% which is classified as alcohol free in the UK. Despite this, anyone with history of alcoholism or wanting to eliminate all alcohol from their diet should avoid drinking Guttzee or speak first to a medical professional.
Be aware that fruit juices can sometimes have alcohol levels up to 0.5% so bear this in mind when making your choices.
It's no uncommon for homebrewers to complete a secondary fermentation in an enclosed bottle. This process takes additional flavours (typically fruit juice, herbs, syrups or fresh fruit) that adds additional sugar levels to the liquid then bottles it in a warm environment for a few days.
The result is a carbonated (fizzy) drink, since the yeast within the first fermentation continues to ferment and converts the sugar into bubbles and alcohol with neither escaping from the enclosed bottle.
This can mean that whilst homebrew can be delicious and beautifully fizzy it can typically have alcohol levels of 2-3% or even higher. Clearly for commercial brewers this is not an option.
During the fermentation process, yeast consumes sugars in the sweet tea mixture and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide through a process called alcoholic fermentation.
The fermentation process begins with the introduction of yeast into the sweetened tea mixture. The yeast present in the environment and from previous batches of kombucha initiates the fermentation process.
Yeast feeds on the sugars present in the tea, primarily sucrose. As the yeast consumes the sugars, it produces two main byproducts: alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
After the yeast has consumed a significant portion of the sugars and produced alcohol, another group of microorganisms, acetic acid bacteria, start to convert the alcohol into organic acids, primarily acetic acid (vinegar). This phase of fermentation is responsible for giving kombucha its characteristic tangy flavour.
The balance between the yeast's production of alcohol and the acetic acid bacteria's conversion of alcohol to acetic acid helps regulate the alcohol content in kombucha. The production of alcohol is usually limited by factors such as the amount of sugar available and the overall fermentation time.
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