This attracted the attention of Microbiology students from the Class of 2018 to research fermented tea drinks or often called kombucha. Their interest was supported by the virtual showcase activity of kombucha's creations in the Fermenstation last Thursday (19/7).

Fermenstation is an exhibition project made by Microbiology students Class of 2018 with the theme, namely "The Creation of Herbal Kombucha and Its Benefits for Maintaining Body Endurance Amidst the Pandemic".

In collaboration with SITH ITB, this event also presented two experts: the Lecturer of the Department of Biology for Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Dr. Kusnadi, M.Sc., and the owner of the Kombucha Bali Wiki, I Putu Adi.

Kombucha is a traditional fermented drink that uses a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) with the back-sloping method or pure culture. The term kombucha comes from the word "kombu" taken from the inventor of the medicinal tea drink for the Japanese army Inyoko, namely Dr. Kombu and "Cha" are taken from the Chinese language, which means tea.
The Research of Kombucha

According to Dr. Kusnadi, M.Sc., the fermentation of kombucha is carried out by a consortium of microbes, including yeast (Saccharomyces and Schizosaccharomyces), lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus sp.), and acetic acid bacteria (Gluconobacter sp. and Acetobacter spp.). The fermentation process is carried out for 10-14 days to produce organic acids, alcohol, and nata coating.

Known as a traditional fermented drink, kombucha also has many health benefits. According to Kusnadi, the benefits of kombucha include detoxification-antioxidants, improving liver function, antimicrobial activity, stimulating the COVID-19 immune system, overcoming digestive problems, overcoming arthritis (arthritis), can be used as a diet, and lowering blood pressure.
The Industrialization of Kombucha

Meanwhile, I Putu Adi explained that based on data, kombucha is now popular as a health drink in several countries, including North America, China, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. In 2020, there were 121 brands of kombucha products in 22 countries with Indonesia. Kombucha production in Indonesia is not as much as in other countries and is still in the development process.

According to Adi, the Kombucha market in foreign countries is growing rapidly. This can be seen from the selling price of Kombucha products in America, which ranges from Rp. 57,554 to Rp. 100,719, with the most sales being Kombuca Mix or Flavored.

Apart from being an herbal drink, kombucha has the potential to produce other products. Among them are SCOBY (Kombucha starter pack), Kombucha toner, widely promoted in Indonesia with a turnover of Rp. 1 billion, Kombucha hair tonic as will be done by Coca Cola, Kombucha soap, Kombucha vinegar, and textile substitutes for jackets and bags.

After discussing kombucha's research and industrialization, participants were allowed to discuss in a question and answer session. After that, the second session featuring a showcase of kombucha's creations from 2018 ITB Microbiology students.
Showcases are presented in the form of product presentations from two groups. Group A discussed the manufacture of kombucha from oolong tea, mint leaves, and lemon as an anti-inflammatory and Kombucha rosella as an antioxidant and immune-boosting substrate with ginger as a substrate. Meanwhile, group B discussed making soursop kombucha as antidiabetic and ginger+lemon kombucha as an anticholesterol agent.

Reporter: Pravito Septadenova Dwi Ananta (Geological Engineering, 2019)
Translator: Billy Akbar Prabowo