Talk:Kombucha
[edit] E. coli
While there probably are a lot of ways Kombucha can cause problems and the medical literature if full of examples ranging from headaches to death, it's unlikely to be because of E. coli contamination. The little research that has been done specifically on the tea, notes that something in the symbiotic mass of bacteria and yeast has significant antibiotic properties towards many types of bacteria (not acetobacter obviously). I'd guess acidosis from all the vinegar is a more likely culprit for some of the Kombucha related illness in the medical literature but cross contamination by an unfriendly yeast is more likely than bacterial contanimation. In moderate quantities it's probably no more harmful on average to humans than most other fermented foods like kimchi or anything else you'd find on this list: list of fermented foods.
[edit] Bias
I am sorry guys, I love to be a skeptic too but this page is pretty biased. I know kombucha is not a wonder cure and nobody will likely experience any noticeable improvement but this article implies that kombucha is unsafe. From a biological perspective it is actually safer than yogurt and kefir because the acid conditions in the culture are rather unfavorable to pathogens. There is als some legitimate scientific evidence of benefit when we look at glucaric acid's effect on the liver. This is an excerpt from the Wikipedia article-
However, a more recent and thorough analysis of a variety of commercial and homebrew versions of kombucha found no evidence of glucuronic acid at all. Instead, the active component is most likely glucaric acid. This compound, also known as D-glucaro-1,4-lactone, helps eliminate the glucuronic acid conjugates produced by the liver. When these conjugates are excreted, normal gut bacteria can break them up using a bacterial form of beta-glucuronidase. Glucaric acid is an inhibitor of this bacterial enzyme, so the waste stored in the glucuronic acid conjugates is properly eliminated the first time, rather than being reabsorbed and detoxified over and over. Thus, glucaric acid probably makes the liver more efficient.[12] — Unsigned, by: 69.118.203.152 / talk / contribs
- Considering the wikipedia article seems to be written by pseudoscientific trolls, I wouldn't cite it with a ten foot pole. That article is a mess. C6541 (talk) 05:15, 10 September 2012 (UTC)
I agree here. Fermentation and rotting is a process used in lots of food. Of course kombucha is just a drink, which you can like or not. But this article at a certain point sounds a bit like it's anti-chemical counterpart which fears any chemical ingredient in food as a toxin. Any kitchen is a laboratory, so any food has it's risks. But there is no proof known that kombucha is more dangerous than any other common food or drink.
- The issue, as mentioned in the article, is the polyculture. You could have the same problems with sourdough starter, for example, but bread gets baked. EVDebs (talk) 04:14, 17 December 2013 (UTC)
[edit] Taste
This article fails to mention that it tastes like ass soaked in vinegar.