Q&A: Kombucha SCOBYs vs. Mothers of Vinegar (MOVs)

Q: If I've grown a kombucha SCOBY or brewed kombucha using unpasteurized vinegar as a starter, do I have a kombucha SCOBY or a mother of vinegar?

A: Today's post is dedicated to kombucha SCOBYs and mothers of vinegar (MOVs). Because of their similar appearance and function, sometimes one can be confused for the other. And if you've grown a kombucha SCOBY or brewed kombucha using unpasteurized vinegar as a starter, do you have a kombucha SCOBY or a MOV? The goal of this post is to address this question and to clear up some of the confusion behind the similarities and differences between these two cultures.

Kombucha SCOBYs are used to ferment a sweet tea solution to make kombucha, and the term "SCOBY" stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts. The exact composition of a kombucha SCOBY varies, but here is a sample analysis of a kombucha ferment and a certified analysis of a Happy Herbalist kombucha mushroom. According to Happy Herbalist, the three universal elements in all kombucha mushroom strains are gluconic acid, acetic acid, and fructose.

Meanwhile, mother of vinegars (MOVs) are used to produce vinegar. MOVs are cellulose substances made of strains of Acetobacter (1, 2) and bacteria that produce acetic acid.

Kombucha SCOBYs and MOV's look strikingly similar:

Kombucha SCOBY

Mother of VinegarPhoto source

The similar appearance of Kombucha SCOBYs and MOVs are due to the presence of Acetobacter strains, which synthesize the cellulose structure of both organisms.

According to Happy Herbalist, the difference between kombucha and vinegar is that kombucha has gluconic acid, while vinegar does not.

In addition, according to a study cited in the Cornell study, Acetobacter xylinum converts glucose to gluconic acid in kombucha. In kombucha, glucose commonly comes from sucrose (such as table sugar or evaporated cane juice), which is made up of glucose and fructose. From my research on the internet, it appears that Acetobacter xylinum is a strain that can also be found in MOVs. Additionally, I believe that some vinegars (such as apple cider vinegar) do not contain glucose or gluconic acid because they are made of fruit sugars, which are purely fructose.

Traditionally, if you are brewing kombucha for the first time, and you only have a kombucha SCOBY and no starter tea for your brew, one recommendation is to add a little bit of distilled white vinegar to the brew to help bring the pH down. This can help to prevent spoilage microorganisms from growing in the brew, while encouraging the kombucha strains to proliferate. It is traditionally not recommended to introduce unpasteurized or raw vinegars to your kombucha, which could encourage the vinegar strains and produce a mother of vinegar (3, 4).

Some people are concerned that their kombucha SCOBYs may be MOVs if they used raw unpasteurized vinegar as a starter to grow a kombucha SCOBY or to brew kombucha. First off, I would like to say that I am not a vinegar or MOV expert. However, I believe that even if you grow a kombucha SCOBY using the same method that I used to grow a kombucha mother (except for using raw vinegar as a starter instead of kombucha), and if you are feeding the culture glucose, fructose, and tea, and brewing as how you would traditionally brew kombucha, you should be getting benefits from the beneficial acids produced in the brewing process. Just like kombucha, there are health benefits associated with the consumption of unpasteurized vinegars. My hypothesis is that feeding such a culture grown from raw vinegar could still create a SCOBY, because it seems that there are some similar strains in kombucha SCOBYs and MOVs, and natural yeasts and bacteria in the air would be incorporated in the culture to create a SCOBY, as well. I have tried someone's kombucha before, which was brewed from a kombucha SCOBY originally grown from raw apple cider vinegar, and the kombucha tasted similar enough to me that I would have called it kombucha.

It appears that what truly defines what is kombucha (or if you might not have kombucha) depends on your definition. Again, according to Happy Herbalist, the difference between kombucha and vinegar is that kombucha has gluconic acid, while vinegar does not. Meanwhile, according to the Steve Dickman, the co-founder of High Country Kombucha, what makes their kombucha "authentic" is the presence of the strain Z. Kombuchaensis in their brew (see this video, at around time 1:00).

Similar to yogurt, kombucha strains vary considerably, depending on the environment the kombucha is brewed in (because there are different yeasts and bacteria in the air), the ingredients used, and more. For example, High Country Kombucha lists Gluconacetobacter Obediens, Dekkera Anomala, Dekkera Bruxellensis, and Z. Kombuchaensis on their bottle as probiotics present in their kombucha. Meanwhile, GT's Kombucha bottle lists Lactobacillus bacterium and S. Boulardii as probiotics and glucuronic acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid as organic acids present in their kombucha.

Unless you have a kombucha company or if you are an individual looking for specific benefits related to specific strains and specific acids in kombucha, most people will still benefit from the beneficial acids produced in kombucha even without knowing the exact strains that the brew contains, and whether the kombucha was brewed from a batch made with raw vinegar or kombucha as a starter.

Ideally, if you can get a kombucha SCOBY and kombucha as starter tea when you begin to brew, I would use that. If you only have one or the other, and if you want to be more assured of making purely kombucha strains, I wouldn't add unpasteurized vinegars. But, I wouldn't rule out using unpasteurized vinegar as a starter for your first brew, if you can't get access to raw kombucha as a starter. In addition, you will only need vinegar for the first time that you brew, because after your first batch, you will be using the kombucha from your last batch as starter tea. However, what you choose to use will depend on your situation and what you would like to incorporate in your kombucha.

The only way to be truly assured of exactly what is in your kombucha is to get your kombucha and SCOBY tested in a lab. And I do admit, I would be very interested in testing my home-brewed kombucha to find out exactly what is in there! However, although there are specific health benefits associated with specific strains of probiotics, I believe that most people can benefit from the live cultures present in kombucha, whether they know exactly which strains are in it or not.

This is my understanding of kombucha SCOBYs and MOVs at the moment. If anyone has any additional comments, thoughts, or knowledge on the matter, please share!

P.S. If you are interested in learning more about vinegar and how to make wine vinegar, I really enjoyed this thorough blog post and photos.

Happy brewing!

Where to Obtain Kombucha Cultures (Updated August 7, 2013)

I've been receiving numerous e-mails about where to buy kombucha mushrooms, so here's a quick rundown of your options.

• A friend - If you are brewing using the traditional method and conditions are right, you get a new kombucha culture each batch! This means an overwhelming number of mushrooms if you brew regularly. So hit up your friends and tell them to spread the kombucha love! :)

• My availability: Unfortunately I am unable to provide kombucha SCOBYs at this time.

• Grow your own! Read about my experience growing a kombucha mushroom here and this blog post on growing kombucha SCOBYs.
• The Worldwide Kombucha Exchange
• Craigslist
• eBay
• Etsy
• Willing to spend the dough? Buy a kombucha mushroom online, such as from Happy Herbalist, Kombucha Kamp, or getkombucha.com.

If you have any more ideas of where to obtain kombucha mushrooms, please share!

Kombucha SCOBY Exchange on Facebook

There are many ways to obtain kombucha cultures, which I describe here.

I would like to present the Kombucha SCOBY Exchange on Facebook, which is sort of a Facebook version of the Worldwide Kombucha Exchange.

I previously suggested that individuals who were looking for SCOBYs or who had extra SCOBYs to share to write a post on Kombucha Fuel's Facebook wall. However, over time, I found that this was not very effective as the requests and offers got pushed down as people wrote new posts on the wall. I have thus created the "Kombucha SCOBY Exchange" as a note on Kombucha Fuel on Facebook. This way, all of the SCOBY requests and offers are together, making it easier for those who are looking for kombucha cultures to connect with individuals in their area who have extra SCOBYs available.

I hope that this will become a helpful resource, and if anyone has any comments, questions, or suggestions, I welcome them.

Below is a copy of the Kombucha SCOBY Exchange note that I have put on Facebook:


Welcome to the Kombucha SCOBY Exchange!

Looking for a kombucha mushroom?
If you are looking for a kombucha mother, write a comment saying that you are looking for a SCOBY and list your location with as much information as you feel comfortable. If someone with extra SCOBYs in your area sees the request, hopefully they will contact you so you can schedule a pick-up!

Have extra kombucha mushrooms to share?
If you have extra kombucha mothers that you would like to share, likewise leave a comment and list your location with as much information as you feel comfortable. This way if someone is looking for a kombucha mushroom in your area, they can contact you! Also, please don't be shy if someone is already offering kombucha mothers in your area. It can be helpful to have multiple people offering SCOBYs in the same area!

Tips:
-You can delete any of your own comment(s) at any time if your situation or location changes.
-If you find someone to connect with, consider contacting them directly. This will help to keep the Kombucha SCOBY Exchange more clutter free and easier to navigate.

Thank you for participating in the Kombucha SCOBY Exchange, and I hope you find this exchange useful!

Happy Brewing,
Annabelle

No SCOBY

Where is that baby mushroom? If you've been brewing kombucha/have been trying to and haven't been getting any new kombucha mothers, here are some tips:

• If your SCOBY was previously stored in the fridge: kombucha mushrooms go dormant in the fridge and may need a few cycles to get fully back into gear. Wait a few cycles to see if new SCOBYs begin forming in the next few cycles.
• Is your kombucha mother sitting on the surface of the kombucha as it brews, and is it getting thicker? If it is, then there's a good chance that the new mushroom is forming right on the top of the old one, with the two mushrooms indistinguishable from one another.
• Avoid antibacterial soap, because SCOBYs contain bacteria. Use distilled white vinegar to clean your kombucha equipment and brewing vessel instead.
• Don't add SCOBYs to hot or warm tea, because hot temperatures can kill your SCOBY. You want to add SCOBYs to tea that is room temperature.
• Avoid any foreign additions to your kombucha (such as herbs, spices, certain types of tea, etc.) unless you know that they are safe. Add flavors and foreign additions during the secondary fermentation (the bottling process), or experiment with foreign additions with your extra kombucha mushrooms. You also want to avoid herbal teas with too many volatile oils, which can harm the SCOBY over time. More about teas for kombucha brewing here.
• Keep your fermentation vessel in an undisturbed spot, and avoid environments where there is smoke, kitchen smoke, pollen, disturbing fumes such as from paints or solvents, etc.
• Use only plain kombucha as starter tea.
• Make sure your sweetener contains some form of sugar either in a dry/crystalline form (ex. evaporated cane juice or sucanat) or liquid form (ex. honey). Stevia and artificial sweeteners don't provide the necessary food for the yeasts.
• The ability for SCOBYs to ferment the tea and to produce new babies decreases as they age. Older SCOBYs are darker brown in color while younger SCOBYs typically have a creamy, white color.
• Are you using a stainless steel pot? When I accidentally brewed with an aluminum pot for a few weeks, I did not get any new mushrooms then.
• The SCOBY might be unhappy with the water. Water can vary widely, such as in the types of minerals present and their concentrations. SCOBYs don't like chlorine. Consider experimenting with filtered water, upgrading your water filter, and the length of boiling time.
• Sometimes the kombucha is ready to drink before a well-formed kombucha mushroom fully develops. If you are trying to grow a thick kombucha mother, read this post.

Source:
1. http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kombucha_balance/#No%20SCOBY

Q&A: What to do with extra kombucha mushrooms?

I've touched on this topic before, but thought it was a subject worth revisiting. What do you do with all of your extra kombucha mushrooms?

If you are brewing using the continuous method, extra SCOBYs may not be a concern. But if you are brewing traditionally, you may have more kombucha mothers than you know what to do with!

For starters:

• I usually have two kombucha mushrooms going per brew container, and the number of kombucha mushrooms you can have fermenting per container can vary depending on personal preference, the size of your brew, and the size and thickness of your kombucha mushrooms. You don't want the mushrooms to get too crowded, so experiment with what works according to your SCOBYs and brewing vessel.
• To keep or not to keep- I've found that the younger mushrooms (which are the lighter, more cream-colored ones that form at the surface of your brew) and the mushrooms with a more uniform thickness tend to perform better. So keep your preferred mushrooms for brewing, and for extra mushrooms that you need to find another use for, read some of my suggestions below.

Some options for extra SCOBYs:

• It's the perfect time to experiment with your extra kombucha mushrooms! Try different sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup, or try herbal, flavored, or exotic teas. How about coffee kombucha? (Coffee kombucha links here and here).
• Give extra kombucha mothers to your friends and spread the kombucha love!
• Offer extra kombucha mushrooms to others through Kombucha Fuel on Facebook, The Worldwide Kombucha Exchange, Etsy.com, Craigslist, or Freecycle mailing lists
• Store extra mushrooms in the fridge in a "kombucha hotel" for backups or to distribute later.
• Ever tried eating a SCOBY?
  -Eating a kombucha mushroom by itself is not something I would probably do again. However, you may try cutting it up and sprinkling it on your food, or use it as a garnish. Alternatively, my friend suggests blending up kombucha mushrooms into smoothies.
• Feeding SCOBYs to dogs and pets is common
• Happy Herbalist lists many creative ideas and recipes for what to do with extra mushrooms, including making "drum heads and leather craft[s]!"
• Compost extra kombucha mushrooms

What do you do with your extra kombucha mothers?