Guest guest Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Perhaps others can use the information on my adventures with the hydrometer. > > I think left the group.. I know A said she was leaving the > group... > >________________________________ > > To: original_kombucha > Sent: Thu, April 7, 2011 12:46:06 PM > Subject: Re: Kombucha & Calories > > > Hi, , > Thanks for trying out the hydrometer. I'm just playing around with this stuff, > but I think I have a handle on how the hydrometer works, and why it might be > giving the paradoxical readings for KT. > > You said you were getting increased hydrometer readings for the mature brew even > though it was getting more sour. I had exactly the same results. And it is > totally the opposite of what I would expect IF I were making beer or wine. > > But I think I've figured it out. The key thing is that the hydrometer is NOT > measuring the amount of sugar directly. It's measuring the Specific Gravity > (thickness? density?) of the liquid. The more sugar that's dissolved in the > liquid, the higher the Sp. Gr. So how could a mature brew, with less sugar > remaining, have a higher Sp.Gr.??? The only way is if something other than the > dissolved sugar is increasing the Sp.Gr. of the liquid. Well, how about the > developing SCOBY? When I look at my glass jar from the side, I can actually see > " stuff " trailing down from the SCOBY. And what about all those slimmy little > baby SCOBY bits? Might they be " thickening the soup " and increasing the Sp.Gr? > If so, then the mature brew would have a higher Sp.Gr. but less sugar than the > original mix. > > Regarding alcohol content, I also had hoped to be able to measure that based on > hydrometer readings. But, once again, kombucha is too complex a process. The > theory behind calculating alcohol content for beer and wine making is that the > sugar is simply converted to alcohol. So you see how much sugar is gone, and > you assume that the sugar is now converted to alcohol. With KT, it's a lot more > complex. The sugar is converted to alcohol by one part of the culture, but > another part of the culture converts the alcohol into the various good things we > like in KT, including the new SCOBY. So this secondary conversion process > probably makes it impossible to calculate alcohol content based purely on > changes in Sp.Gr. > > > So, bottom line, I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to calculate > calorie content OR alcohol with my hydrometer. Those are the first two > questions that everyone new to KT asks when I tell them about it. But I at > least know the upper limit. And as you said, it's not bad compared to most > fruit juice and soft drinks on the market. The recipe that I use calls for 2 C > sugar per gallon of water. If I have my math right, that comes to 96 calories > per 8 oz cup at the beginning of the brew process. Some of that sugar is gone. > And, assuming that the probiotics, vitamins, SCOBY slime, etc. is calorie-free, > the end calorie count is less than 96 cal per cup. > I'm going to continue to play around with the hydrometer, measuring the brew at > different points to see if I can see any pattern. Maybe when it gets really > acidic the Sp.Gr. will fall again. But it's just for fun. Maybe I'll have to > take up beer brewing to get to use my hydrometer as intended. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.