What’s the deal with Kombucha?

 By Eva McCormick

Kombucha has been growing in popularity in the U.S. since the early 2000’s. Long before it made its way here, this fermented tea is thought to have originated in northeastern China around B.C. 246 and was brought to Japan by a doctor named Kombu, thus the name, who praised its detoxifying and energizing effects.  In the 20^th century, Kombucha was brought to eastern Europe and became popular there until a tea leaf and sugar shortage during WWII greatly reduced its consumption.

Fun Fact! PespiCo Inc. owns one of the most commonly purchased brands of kombucha called “KeVita”.

Method of Preparation:

The process of making kombucha begins with obtaining a cellulose film called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeasts). Next, you boil tea (tea can be black, green, or a mixture) and water, remove the tea leaves, add sugar, and let cool to room temperature. Once the tea mixture is room temperature you add the SCOBY, cover the container with a cotton cloth and secure with a rubber band. The bacteria and yeast thrive at room temperature and begin to ferment sugars in-turn producing alcohol and multiple types of acids. During fermentation carbon dioxide is also produced which gives the tea a carbonated mouthfeel. Different fruits and herbs are often added to provide flavor and additional anti-oxidant properties. There are many commercially available kombucha starter kits complete with instructions on how to brew your own kombucha! https://www.thekombuchashop.com/

Proposed Health Benefits:

It is most widely known for potential benefits as a probiotic drink that benefits gut and immune health much like yogurt. Kombucha also contains tannins from the tea along with vitamins and minerals from added fruits and herbs that have been seen to protect against oxidative stress. Other large claims have been made by individuals have used this drink to treat IBS, but there is not research or enough clinical evidence to confirm these type of claims at this point.

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At the very least kombucha can serve as a lower calorie, more nutrient-dense alternative to soda or alcohol. Most bottled kombucha contains less than 0.5% alcohol which puts it below the threshold of federal regulation and is much easier on the liver than alcoholic beverages.

References:

Coelho, R. M. D.,  Leite de Almeid, A.,  Gurgel, R.Q.,  Nascimento da Mota, A. R., & M. de Sousa, P. H. (2020). Kombucha: Review. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 22.

Sourdough Bread and Glycemic Index

 By: Brooke Kurkjian

What trendy quarantine skill did you pick up? I chose sourdough. I love baking but have always been intimidated by the prospect of having to keep a jar full of flour and water alive. An abundance of time spent in the house, and a yeast shortage in my local grocery store, gave me the courage to try it out.

Image by Brooke Kurkjian

A little background on this mysterious fermented substance. Bread has been around forever. No matter where your ancestors come from, it’s guaranteed that they made some form of bread. Before the yeast we know today was available, people made leavened bread with wild yeast in the form of sourdough. The word sourdough can refer to the finished product and the starter - a mixture of flour and water. This mixture of flour and water combines bacteria (lactobacili) and wild yeast to bubble and create a substance that gives rise to the bread products we call sourdough. This process, called fermentation, gives a unique flavor to the bread (King Arthur Baking).

Image: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/guides/sourdough

What makes sourdough bread particularly interesting is its glycemic index. Glycemic index measures how quickly a food affects our blood sugar. Foods are measured on a scale from 0 to 100. A higher number means a higher glycemic index and indicates an item that will be digested quickly and spike blood sugar. Bread products tend to be higher on the glycemic index scale (Ellis, 2019). Sourdough is a unique bread product because of its lower glycemic index score. In comparison to all other breads, sourdough has the least dramatic effect on blood sugar (Mofidi, 2012). Preventing these spikes in blood sugar is important for diabetics but is something that all of us can benefit from.

If you are intrigued, try out making sourdough for yourself. You will need a sourdough starter to begin. You can make one yourself, I recommend following the guide by The Perfect Loaf. Alternatively, you can ask a friend with a starter if they will share some with you, that way you can bake right away and don’t have to wait for your starter to mature. Once you are ready to go, try recipes from King Arthur Baking and The Perfect Loaf; each have great resources for beginners. I highly recommend trying out sourdough. Even when you know the science involved, it always seems like a little bit of magic occurs when water, flour, and starter turn into a golden loaf of sourdough. 

Image by Brook Kurkjian

References:

1. King Arthur Baking. (n.d.). Sourdough Baking. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/guides/sourdough
2. Ellis, R. (2019). What Is Glycemic Index? Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/what-is-glycemic-index
3. Mofidi, A., Ferraro, Z. M., Stewart, K. A., Tulk, H. M., Robinson, L. E., Duncan, A. M., & Graham, T. E. (2012). The acute impact of ingestion of sourdough and whole-grain breads on blood glucose, insulin, and incretins in overweight and obese men. Journal of nutrition and metabolism, 2012, 184710. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/184710