Kombucha contains live beneficial bacteria and yeasts, organic acids, various B vitamins, antioxidants, and few essential minerals.
For every cup of unflavored Kombucha, there are 34 calories, 2 gram of sugar, 11 grams of sodium, 3 grams of proteins, and small amounts of caffeine. Unflavored Kombucha contains less than 1 gram of fat, doesn’t contain cholesterol or saturated fats.
Kombucha may not have much nutritional value but it does contain vitamin C and B (vitamin B1, B6, B12) and tons of enzymes, probiotic, antibiotic and antimicrobial components as well as important minerals like zinc, copper, iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
Keep in mind that the above nutrition facts are for the first fermentation process, the unflavored Kombucha, and adding some flavors to your Kombucha, the second fermentation process, may add additional micronutrients and it will increase the caloric and macronutrient content.
Kombucha also has small amount of alcohol as a result of the fermentation process and contains a variety of phytonutrients and flavonoids that come from the tea used to make the drink.
Vitamins
Kombucha is rich in vitamin C, B-vitamins and folic acid. These vitamins, such as vitamin B12, help with the creation and maintenance of red blood cells.
Here’s the breakdown of vitamins for each 100 ml of Kombucha:
- B1 – 74 mg
- B2 – 8.3 mg
- B6 – 52 mg
- B12 – 84 mg
- C – 28.98 mg
Minerals
Just like the vitamins, essential minerals help your body grow, develop, maintain bone density, make hormones, regulate your heartbeat and are needed to perform functions necessary for life.
These mineral elements of nutritional and toxicological importance were present in Kombucha using a spectroanalytical procedure for the quantitative determination of chemical elements: zinc, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, cobalt, lead, chromium, and cadmium.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are micronutrients we get through certain plant-based foods. They’re packed with antioxidants and potential health benefits. Polyphenols play a role in preventing several diseases related to oxidative stress, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and degenerative diseases.
The protective effect of Kombucha is mainly due to polyphenol activity in tea. Total polyphenol content in Kombucha increases dramatically during fermentation time.
One study focused on changes in content of organic acid and tea polyphenols in Kombucha tea prepared from green tea, black tea and tea manufacture waste during fermentation. Both epicatechin and epigallocatechin are found predominantly in the black and green tea. On day 12 of Kombucha fermentation a much higher level of epicatechin (150%) was found in the Kombucha made with green tea, and 115% increase of epigallocatechin on Kombucha made with black tea.
D-Saccharic acid 1,4-lactone
D-Saccharic acid-1,4-lactone (DSL) is a component derived from D-glucaric acid, which inhibits the activity of glucuronidase (indirectly related with liver cancer) and has detoxifying and antioxidant properties. DSL content in Kombucha ranging between 57.99 μg/mL and 132.72 μg/mL, depending on the product origin. The highest DSL value was found on the 8th day of fermentation and diminished afterward. It was established that lactic acid bacteria had a positive effect on DSL production.
Ethanol (alcohol)
Ethanol concentration in Kombucha increases with fermentation time, reaching an approximate maximum value of 5.5 g/L on the 20th day of fermentation, and decreasing gradually thereafter.
Since the daily consumption of alcohol in a lower concentration can protect the human body from cardiovascular diseases, the consumption of Kombucha, which has a low concentration of alcohol, could also have a role in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Acetic acid
The health benefits of acetic acid include reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure and keeping blood sugar from rising too high. Acetic acid also has an alkaline effect, which helps all the systems in your body run smoothly.
In Kombucha acetic acid is the chemical compound responsible for the acidic smell and taste of vinegar. Acetic acid bacteria in Kombucha makes use of glucose, hydrolyzed by the yeast, to produce gluconic acid and ethanol which in turn produces acetic acid. Acetic acid bacteria from Kombucha produce acetic acid, as one of the main metabolites, when sucrose is used as a carbon source.
Gluconic acid
Gluconic acids bind to toxins to help expel them from the body. Glucuronic and gluconic acids are also major organic acids that are produced as a result of the Kombucha fermentation process on traditional substrate. The maximum value of 2.33 g/L D‐glucuronic acid was recorded after 12 days of fermentation. Gluconic acid was not produced until the 6th day of fermentation.
Citric acid
Citric acid acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body from damaging free radicals. Citric acid is not a characteristic metabolic product of the traditional beverage. An average value of 25 g/L citric acid in the total acids in Kombucha prepared with green.
The composition of Kombucha beverage indicates the presence of numerous compounds and it depends on cultivation base material, time and temperature of fermentation process, as well as the microorganisms present in the culture.
Different tea varieties, amount of sugar, fermentation time, and composition of tea fungus may account for differences in Kombucha composition and therefore also the biological activities of Kombucha beverage.
Research on Kombucha demonstrating its health benefits will most likely continue to increase in the next few years. It is clear that Kombucha is a source of a wide range of bioactive components absorbed and metabolized by the body, making use of their effects at the cellular level.
