Abstract:
Kombucha is a functional beverage that is prepared by fermenting sweetened black tea with a symbiotic culture of yeast and acetic acid bacteria, commonly known as "black tea fungus". This study aims to optimize the static fermentation conditions in order to increase the yield of organic acids, thereby enhancing the flavor and stability of the product. The study selected four key factors closely related to sugar metabolism-glucose concentration, tea concentration, inoculation amount and temperature. The final pH value, final total acid concentration and final residual sugar after 6days of fermentation were selected as evaluation indicators. Firstly, the appropriate ranges of each parameter were determined through single-factor experiments, and then the response surface analysis method was used to systematically optimize the process conditions. The experimental results showed that the optimal process conditions were: glucose concentration 8%, tea concentration 0.6%, inoculum size 7%, and temperature 30°C. Under these conditions, the kombucha fermented for 6days exhibited uniform and bright color, consistent texture without separation, and a total acid content of 36.3 mg·mL
−1, providing technical support for the industrial production of fermented kombucha.