Development of kombucha-like beverage using butterfly pea flower extract with the addition of tender coconut water

Abstract

Kombucha, a non-alcoholic beverage with multiple health benefits, is generally produced by fermenting sweetened tea with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY). This study applied butterfly pea flower extract as an alternative substrate to tea for preparing kombucha-like beverages. The experiment was carried out by mixing butterfly pea extract with different sugar concentrations of 15, 20, and 25 % (w/v). The fermentation was performed at room temperature for 14 days and the samples were collected at the initial stage and on day 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 14 for physicochemical, chemical, sugar content and organic acid contents analysis. The results revealed that the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and organic acids in the extracts increase over the fermentation time. The addition of coconut water from various sources, including commercial, local farm at Samut Songkhram province, and local farm at Chachoengsao province affected to the generation of organic acids in kombucha-like beverages, which may influence on their taste. The results in this study suggests that butterfly pea flower extract can be used as an alternative substrate for developing kombucha-like fermentation combined with coconut water, in order to create a novel beverage with enhanced physicochemical properties, chemical properties and sensory characteristics.