AVALIAÇÃO DA PRODUÇÃO DE FERMENTADO ACÉTICO A PARTIR DE KOMBUCHA VENCIDA PROVENIENTE DA PRODUÇÃO INDUSTRIAL

Abstract

Kombucha is a beverage fermented from a sugary tea of Camelia sinensis with the presence of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, commonly known as SCOBY. As all large-scale productions generate residues in the production of kombucha, there is some waste since when the batches reach their expiration date, not all of them are always sold, leaving some expired bottles that would be discarded without profitable or sustainable purposes. The present work evaluated the possibility of transforming the expired beverage that returns from the market into an acetic fermented beverage by fermenting again, with the addition of sugar and new inoculum, in order to increase the acidity and obtain a product close to the vinegar of culinary use, with 4% acidity, as indicated by Brazilian legislation. The tests were carried out with different proportions on a 22 factorial design and the most significant result was from batch 4, which had the most addition of sugar, with 2,27% of acidity. This result indicated that the test was acidified and can be the starting point for future works. In conclusion, the variable that most influenced the acidity was the addition of sugar and eve thought it did not reach the percentage of 4% desired, can be assumed that it was despite the short fermentation period. Still, it’s possible to optimize this process and enable the transformation of kombucha into vinegar