List of sugar, sugary food, honey, syrup, fruits & juices for kombucha (SCOBY) & water kefir grain fermentation

List of sugar, sugary food, honey, syrup, fruits & juices for kombucha (SCOBY) & water kefir grain fermentation

Kombucha (SCOBY) and water kefir grains need sugar (glucose and fructose). The yeast will break down sugar (sucrose) into smaller components glucose and fructose though the secretion of invertase enzyme. Glucose will then be broken down into pyruvate, then acetaldehyde, and then ethanol (alcohol) while releasing carbon dioxide (CO2, which makes the drink fizzy & bubbly). Then the bacteria in the scoby will convert the ethanol (alcohol) into acetic acid (which gives sour and vinegar taste).

List of food for kombucha & water kefir grain fermentation

Granulated sugar

  • Sugar
    • This is the cheapest conventional sugar.
  • Cane sugar
    • Kombucha
      • (Thrown) Starts with brix 7.4 (Wed 27 Jan): Scoby + organic cane sugar + bit green tea + whole bottle of Evian + filtered water + remaining solution (5/5 maple syrup kombucha)
        • 5 days (Mon 1 Feb): Brix 7.2
        • 9 days (Fri 5 Feb): Brix 6.9 (still very sweet)
        • 25 days (Sun 21 Feb): Brix 6.0 (taste bit sour, still sweet)
    • Kefir
      • (Thrown) Starts with brix 8.2 (Wed 27 Jan): Kefir grain + cane sugar + whole bottle of Evian + filtered water
        • 5 days (Mon 1 Feb): Brix 8.2
    • Sugar with bit of brown color
  • Brown sugar
  • Molasses sugar
    • 11 Jan
      • 16 days: (3/5) Scoby on top, bit sweet, bit sour. - (brix 6.2:, Wed 27 Jan)
        • Airtight: (3/5) Lots of gas coming up & foam a bit when opened. Seems still sweet, less sour. - (brix 6.4)
    • High concentration inhibits the growth of both kombucha and water kefir
    • Centrifuged (by-product of producing sugar) and un-centrifuged (pure) version is available
  • Coconut sugar

Syrup

  • Honey
  • Molasses
  • Maple syrup
    • Kombucha and water kefir seems to love this
    • Kombucha
      • Starts with brix 5.5 - (Mon, 18 Jan)
        • 4 days: (3/5) Taste sour with slight sweetness - (brix: 5.0, Fri 22 Jan)
        • 9 days: (4/5) Taste bit sour, not sweet - (brix 4.4, Wed 22 Jan)
          • Airtight (Evian small bottle): (5/5, best) Taste less sour, less sweeter, more tasteless, moderate fizziness. Lots of bubbles coming up but no foaming up when opened - (Brix: 3.8)
          • Airtight (Oon Kombucha bottle): (5/5, best) Nice gas sound when opened, lots of bubbles coming up but no foaming up.
  • Coconut flower nectar

Juices

  • Coconut water
  • Cherry juice

Herbs and spices

Leaves

  • Green tea
    • Base for fermenting kombucha

Fruits

  • Nutmeg
  • Cinnamon

Brix

Brix level is used to determine the amount of sugar remains in the kombucha and kefir solution, as well as amount of alcohol, measured in °Bx or % (percentage)
  • Water only: 0%
  • Green tea + water: 0%
  • Green tea + water + maple syrup: > 0%

Notes

  • Kefir grains can last maximum 4-5 days without food (sugar) outside (at room temperature).
  • Usually 1st fermentation uses sugar, syrup or juices with no solids in it.

Discussion

Feel free to leave a comment below, share with us your opinion and experience, or ask a question if you have any doubt regarding this topic. Thanks for reading.

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