Concern over the possible alcohol content in kombucha -- a fermented tea -- led Whole Foods to pull the drink from its shelves recently and has touched off a debate as to whether the health elixir needs further regulation.
The drink of choice at yoga studios and farmer's market has quietly grown into a major business with $295 million in U.S. sales for the active juice sector last year according to the market research firm SPINS. And with its new found popularity, kombucha is drawing additional scrutiny for its potential to get you buzzed.
Kombucha is a tea made from a live bacterial culture, sometimes called
a "mushroom," which is heated, sweetened and then cooled. The
concotion, typically in a jelly jar, sits for between five and 14 days
at room temperature.
The result is a sour and tangy brown tea
capped by a light brown, gelatinous disk. When the liquid gets too
sour, it is dumped out and the process is started fresh. The culture,
known as the "mother," can regenerate and create new cultures, "the
babies," with each batch.
The active cultures are thought to
have medicinal qualities and health benefits. Kombucha has roots back
to ancient China, where it was seen as helping to restore the body's
balance. Today, kombucha is touted as a digestive aid, immune system
booster, skin strengthener and potential cancer remedy
The fermenting process means that bottled kombucha has a legal alcohol percentage of 0.5 percent. The reason Whole Foods pulled the drink from shelves is that kombucha may continue to ferment in the bottle, raising the alcohol level to 3 percent. At that level, it would be subject to the same taxes and regulations as alcoholic beverages in the United States.
Kombucha has made headlines recently because of its potentially buzzworthy properties. Online gossip blogs even glommed on to kombucha as the potential reason for Lindsay Lohan setting off her alcohol-monitoring bracelet. A claim she denied via Twitter yesterday:
"FYI.. #kombucha was not the reason that my scram went off-i wouldn't of been allowed to drink it if that were the problem.. i love kombucha."
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