Chemical and microbiological characteristics of kombucha made from robusta cascara and green tea

Abstract

Dried coffee peel or cascara as coffee waste is a potential ingredient that still contains phytochemical substances such as polyphenol and clorogenic acid. Cascara can be used in making kombucha. Kombucha is a functional drink made of fermenting tea and sugar with using symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) as starter. The addition of cascara and combination with green tea could potentially improve nutritional values on kombucha. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical and microbiological characteristics of kombucha made from robusta cascara and green tea. This study used Completely Randomized Design with one treatment factor namely combination of robusta cascara and green tea (100%:0%; 75%:25%; 50%:50%; 25%:75%; 0%:100%). The treatment repeated three times. The parameters observed were total polyphenol content, total titrated acid, total dissolved solid, pH, and total lactic acid bacteria. The result showed that combination of robusta cascara and green tea had significant effects on all parameters. The increased of green tea proportion in treatments could increase content of total titrated acid from 0.0032% (kombucha with 100% robusta cascara) to 0.0048% (kombucha with 100% green tea) whereas total dissolved solid from 0.0667% Brix to 9.1333% Brix and pH values from 3.6000 to 3.4667 slightly decreased in ombucha.The higher polyphenol content in the raw material the higher total polyphenol obtained in kombucha reflected on 100% green tea kombucha with 0.2245 mg GAE/mL. Total lactic acid bacteria of kombucha obtained at 3.3760 log CFU/mL to 4.3917 log CFU/mL.