Re: Picle jar versus Pyrex bow

[Guest guest]

On Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:07 pm (PST) " Ed Kasper LAc " Posted:

" A 5 gal or larger plastic container is more economical and more

productive but has the question of plastic. "

I'm curious; what is the question of plastic? I've brewed many batches

of beer in my food-grade 5 gal. (US) plastic buckets and have never

noticed a problem. I'm ready to start brewing KT when I can get my

hands on a SCOBY (Anyone near West Chester, PA have a spare?) and was

planning on using my beer brewing equipment. Am I asking for trouble?

Should I not use the lid as well? From what I've been reading it sounds

like the brew must be open to oxygen but not to fruit flies. If I put

the lid on and leave the little hole open instead of placing the

fermentation lock on, will it get enough O2?

Thanks for helping a newbie.

Galen

________________________

Galen Kreiser

Holistic Health Counselor

Healthworksnutrition.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Galen and EveryOne,

It is recommended that you use glass for fermenting and storing your

Kombucha although some people still prefer to use plastic.

You can read all about plastics, what the numbers mean and what

chemicals plastics can leach into your food in the FILES section of

the list homepage.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/original_kombucha/

Peace, Love and Harmony,

Bev

-- In original_kombucha , Galen Kreiser wrote:

>

>

> On Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:07 pm (PST) " Ed Kasper LAc " Posted:

> " A 5 gal or larger plastic container is more economical and more

> productive but has the question of plastic. "

>

> I'm curious; what is the question of plastic? I've brewed many batches

> of beer in my food-grade 5 gal. (US) plastic buckets and have never

> noticed a problem. I'm ready to start brewing KT when I can get my

> hands on a SCOBY (Anyone near West Chester, PA have a spare?) and was

> planning on using my beer brewing equipment. Am I asking for trouble?

> Should I not use the lid as well? From what I've been reading it sounds

> like the brew must be open to oxygen but not to fruit flies. If I put

> the lid on and leave the little hole open instead of placing the

> fermentation lock on, will it get enough O2?

>

> Thanks for helping a newbie.

>

> Galen

> ________________________

> Galen Kreiser

> Holistic Health Counselor

> Healthworksnutrition.com

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>I'm curious; what is the question of plastic? I've brewed many batches

>of beer in my food-grade 5 gal. (US) plastic buckets and have never

>noticed a problem. I'm ready to start brewing KT when I can get my

>hands on a SCOBY (Anyone near West Chester, PA have a spare?) and was

>planning on using my beer brewing equipment. Am I asking for trouble?

Kombucha is highly acidic and is therefore a different animal than

beer. Some people do use the plastic buckets, but there have been a number

of reports of plastic deteriorating and at least one case of someone whose

wife developed an illness of the liver from plastic actually embedded in,

or something very scary. I believe the person is on this list. Many of us

have long avoided plastic in any case and do not use it for brewing.

>Should I not use the lid as well? From what I've been reading it sounds

>like the brew must be open to oxygen but not to fruit flies. If I put

>the lid on and leave the little hole open instead of placing the

>fermentation lock on, will it get enough O2?

If you leave the little hole open, you *will* get fruit flies-- they get in

any opening and they definitely will find your brew. You need a piece of

muslin big enough to fit across your vessel and held on tightly with

elastic or a big rubber band. The difference in brewing time between my

vessels with narrower openings vs. wider openings is quite obvious, so the

air question is important. Don't use the lid.

Additionally, a while back we had a spate of new brewers whose brews were

just sitting and not fermenting much, and it turned out they had not left

an airspace in their vessels. Once they made a space, their brews got

active. I've had the same kind of thing happen where I wound up with a

too-full vessel and it just sat.

happy brewing!

--V

~~~ There is no way to peace; peace is the way ~~~~

--A.J. Muste

[Guest guest]

I feel its important to clarify the idea that kombucha is

acidic.

Quakwatch and other anti-alternative med types warm not to

drink KT or you'll get an acid imbalance or acidosis and

kidney and liver damage. Kombucha is a very mild acetic acid

and actually is an alkaline forming food. (Barefoot,

OHara...)

The acetic acid of a finished KT ferment is only about 1%.

Total acid = 33 g/L (7 g/L acetic acid) source Department

of Food Science Cornell University.

Distilled White Vinegar for example is 5% some pickling

vinegars may go as high as 8% acetic acid. The other acids

other beneficial acids like Gluconic acid (or glucuronic,

etc) Overall a very very mild acid which does place in the

same category of beer, cider and wine in various stages -

which all use to some degree plastics. USFDA tests and

specifically kombucha-research.org shows that there is no

leeching of the plastic into ferments when food grade

plastic 1 and 2 are used. However those tests did not do a

long term study. Benno (listmate) mentioned one but I did

not see a copy of that. PETE plastic and many grades of

plastic used in water and drink bottles are not food grade

and many people believe that those plastics will leach even

if only pure water is stored. Distilled water is far more

" leeching " . IMO, out whole water supply system is suspect as

water comes into contact with various grades in many

different stages before it gets to the end user.

Ed Kasper LAc. Licensed Acupuncturist & Herbalist

Acupuncture is a jab well done

www.HappyHerbalist.com Santa Cruz, CA.

.............original message

......................................................

8c. Re: Picle jar versus Pyrex bow

Posted by: " Baker " vbaker@... vbaker555

Date: Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:39 am (PDT)

>I'm curious; what is the question of plastic? I've brewed

many batches

>of beer in my food-grade 5 gal. (US) plastic buckets and

have never

>noticed a problem. I'm ready to start brewing KT when I can

get my

>hands on a SCOBY (Anyone near West Chester, PA have a

spare?) and was

>planning on using my beer brewing equipment. Am I asking

for trouble?

Kombucha is highly acidic and is therefore a different

animal than

beer. Some people do use the plastic buckets, but there

have been a number

of reports of plastic deteriorating and at least one case of

someone whose

wife developed an illness of the liver from plastic actually

embedded in,

or something very scary. I believe the person is on this

list. Many of us

have long avoided plastic in any case and do not use it for

brewing.

>Should I not use the lid as well? From what I've been

reading it sounds

>like the brew must be open to oxygen but not to fruit

flies. If I put

>the lid on and leave the little hole open instead of

placing the

>fermentation lock on, will it get enough O2?

If you leave the little hole open, you *will* get fruit

flies-- they get in

any opening and they definitely will find your brew. You

need a piece of

muslin big enough to fit across your vessel and held on

tightly with

elastic or a big rubber band. The difference in brewing

time between my

vessels with narrower openings vs. wider openings is quite

obvious, so the

air question is important. Don't use the lid.

Additionally, a while back we had a spate of new brewers

whose brews were

just sitting and not fermenting much, and it turned out

they had not left

an airspace in their vessels. Once they made a space, their

brews got

active. I've had the same kind of thing happen where I

wound up with a

too-full vessel and it just sat.

happy brewing!

--V