10 - Kombucha: A Promising Functional Beverage Prepared From Tea

Abstract

Kombucha tea is a refreshing beverage, obtained by fermenting sugared black tea, made from Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze leaves, with a consortium of yeast and predominantly acetic acid bacteria. In recent times, Kombucha tea has seen considerable increase in interest worldwide and can easily be said to be an emerging popular beverage. The fact that today Kombucha tea is available in multiple forms and flavors is a living testament of the massive amounts of transformation this beverage has undergone through the ages. One of the most important reasons behind the rise of the beverage is its claimed health benefits many of which have been established by scientific research. Of the various health benefits of Kombucha tea, its antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer benefits are most attractive and appealing to ever increasing cohort of scientific investigators and entrepreneurs. The last decade saw noteworthy progress toward understanding the beneficial properties of this fermented tea. Scientific reports claim that drinking Kombucha tea can prevent several types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, invigorate liver functions, and stimulate the immune system. Moreover, studies show that Kombucha tea is usually more effective than the original unfermented tea with respect to their biological activities. Therefore, Kombucha tea can now be regarded as a health drink and a functional beverage with potential beneficial properties.