What Goes On During the Fermentation Process of Kombucha?
- Justin Kwok
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
What if we had a carbonated alternative to soda that boosted health and still had great flavor?
For years, sugary soft drinks have dominated store shelves, due to their irresistible fizz and sweetness. But this all comes with a cost: nutrition. As people begin to question what they are putting into their bodies, the demand for something “cleaner” has grown. Consumers increasingly want carbonation and flavor without the excess sugar and chemicals.
Long before kombucha became a trendy wellness drink, it was a simple solution to that problem. Made from tea, sugar, and a living culture, kombucha relies on fermentation to completely transform its ingredients. What starts as sweetened tea becomes a tangy, fizzy beverage through the work of microorganisms that have been used for centuries.
The driving force behind this process is the SCOBY, or Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. Once added to the tea, the yeast begins breaking down sugar into carbon dioxide and small amounts of alcohol, which brings out natural carbonation. The bacteria then convert that alcohol into organic acids, giving kombucha its sharp flavor and an internal preservation system.
Over the course of one to two weeks, the drink evolves. In terms of flavor, sugar levels drop and acidity increases, but something else happens as well. A completely new SCOBY forms at the surface, a byproduct of the fermentation process. As the flavor deepens and fizz is developed, the tea becomes something entirely different from what it once was. It becomes kombucha.
Through its remarkable fermentation process, kombucha becomes a naturally carbonated beverage that offers complexity and flavor, proving that soda doesn’t have to be the only way to enjoy a satisfying fizz.
Justin Kwok is a junior at Lebanon Trail High School in Frisco, Texas. He worked in research and development at Morgan Foods, Inc. and conducted independent research on kombucha and mushroom fermentation, designing new formulations for flavor and quality. He also designed a moisture-absorbing sachet to extend the shelf-life of perishable foods that was piloted in a local Frito-Lays plant.
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