5a. It took 10 days to get my scobie...

[Guest guest]

Nick, I would like to know the reason for the use of

pineapple...and would question your source.

Pineapple appears to have about 10-30% sugar content and

vitamin C and other acids but does not appear o have a

significant acid level to act as a preventative against mold

forming.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-001-02s01kc.html.

Fresh pineapple juice or preservative free pineapple juice,

as in any fresh fruit/juice, for instance lemons, apples,

raw honey, may introduce competing micro-organisms into the

brew and cause the kombucha to go off on a tangent.

The purpose of adding vinegar is to act as protection for

the _fresh sugar and tea_ that is exposed to possible

contamination until such times as the kombucha (mushroom and

starter tea) begins producing sufficient acids to ward off

pathogens and to protect the liquid tea that is in the

process of becoming KT.

It is always possible to find mold on dry surrounding areas

of all and any food stuffs - even those packed with

commercial multi-preservatives.

However pathogenic mold does not form within the kombucha or

the liquid kombucha tea when the acid levels reach 33 g/L

total acid (7 g/L acetic acid) . This may be indicated by a

pH factor of ~3.0.

http://www.happyherbalist.com/analysis_of_kombucha.htm

One could plot an X-Y chart. Where those values may be

reached at 8 days at 80F.

The most dangerous time is the first few days. The higher

the percentage of starter tea (fermented kombucha tea pH

3.0) and percentage kombucha mushroom (SCOBY) the safer to

fresh sugar and tea will be. This is also a clear advantage

of the Continuous Brewing method over the single stage

method. http://happyherbalist.com/continuous_brewing.htm.

There is always a risk but adding a distilled vinegar or

boiled live vinegar adds sufficient acids, without competing

yeasts and bacteria, to the vulnerable start. There must be

a sufficient full spectrum kombucha SCOBY components to make

kombucha mushroom tea.

live free and healthy

Ed Kasper L.Ac., Acupuncturist & Medicinal Herbalist

http://HappyHerbalist.com eddy@...

original message

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5a. It took 10 days to get my scobie...

Posted by: " Nick " nicdelucca@... nicdelucca2001

Date: Mon Jul 3, 2006 10:37 am (PDT)

and it was packed in ziplock bags with just run off tea...It

looks

fine...Is it still viable???

Also...The owner said to use pineapple juice to replace the

starter

tea...Is that right???