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It is not difficult to understand that Kombucha has gone bad in appearance. However, in order to prevent it from such a state, you need to know the first signs. When they appear, timely measures taken will help to cure kombucha.
Can kombucha go bad?
Subject to the rules of cultivation and sanitation, the tea jellyfish rarely disappears. Sometimes, processes hanging from a jellyfish, resembling a cobweb, are mistaken for depravity. This is actually the normal growth process of kombucha. The web is formed by yeast threads, due to which fermentation and fermentation occur.
If the drink was poorly looked after, the water was changed at the wrong time, sanitary rules were ignored, it can disappear. Sometimes this happens not through the fault of a person, but from harmful insects. It depends on the degree of spoilage whether it is possible to reanimate kombucha at home or whether it is already useless to do so.
Most often, the tea jellyfish deteriorates through the fault of a person. In the process of inaccurate care, cuts, tears appear. The body of the medusa mycete is weakened. It is more vulnerable to pathogens of various diseases.
If the sugar or tea leaves are not added correctly, the particles settle on the body of kombucha. There are burns in the form of brown or brown areas. To resuscitate the jellyfish, they urgently need to be removed.
Non-compliance with the temperature regime or frequent exposure to sunlight contributes to the development of algae. The tea jellyfish will disappear if it is not washed in time under running water.
Mold is the worst enemy of kombucha, leading to death. It is formed when the habitat is not acidic enough. The mold infects only that part of the tea jellyfish that periodically comes into contact with air.
There are many other reasons why kombucha can fail. You need to know them in order to prevent danger in time.
On the video, growing medusomycetes:
How to understand that Kombucha is dying
To easily determine the depravity of a tea jellyfish, you need to know how it looks in a healthy state. When any deviations from the norms appear, it already indicates the beginning of a negative process.
Healthy kombucha looks like jelly pancakes
A healthy tea jellyfish has a homogeneous body, resembling elastic jelly to the touch. In shape, it often looks like a pancake. The body color is similarly uniform. It comes in milky or beige. Sometimes dark and light shades appear.
First of all, a change in color makes it clear that the kombucha has disappeared or is just starting to deteriorate. The problem is evidenced by pronounced symptoms in the form of mold, holes on the body, turbidity of the liquid and a change in taste.
Important! If you suspect the corruption of the fungus, you can not drink the drink.
Kombucha damage
Mechanical damage to kombucha is not a disease, but it will lead to this if not resuscitated in a timely manner. Most often, the body of a jellyfish suffers from tears, punctures, cuts.
Why do holes appear in kombucha
A body with holes cannot be called terminally ill, but it cannot be attributed to healthy mushrooms either. Punctures are often obtained if the jellyfish was carelessly removed from the jar with a metal cutlery. Cuts on the body can even appear from nails. During care, it is advisable to wear medical gloves if you have a long manicure on your hands.
Holes are common damage to medusomycetes.
Strong cuts, tears, large holes occur when a can is broken. Broken glass breaks kombucha. A trifle can even get stuck and stay in the body.
What to do if the kombucha broke
Mechanical damage to kombucha is less dangerous than disease. To quickly revive kombucha, it is placed in freshly made sweet tea. The solution should lightly cover the body. The fungus is not disturbed for several days until recovery occurs. Kambucha has good regenerating properties. The plate will heal on its own, grow, and then the drink can be consumed.
Kombucha diseases
Kombucha disease is much more dangerous than normal damage. If pathogens are not eliminated in a timely manner, it will not be possible to reanimate the jellyfish. The kombucha grower must know the common diseases of kombucha and their treatment, otherwise a spoiled drink can harm your health.
Algae infestation
If the technological process of growing tea jellyfish is violated, algae appear in the jar. They are usually blue or green in color. Algae spreads along the wall of the can or simply floats in the drink. The liquid becomes cloudy.
Green and blue algae grow in a jar with a drink if care rules are violated
Algae growth is caused by one of three factors:
- A jar of tea medusomycete was left on a window or table, where direct sunlight falls during the day.
- Kombucha was left in a cool room, and the drink cooled down. It is important to constantly maintain the temperature of the liquid above 18оC.
- Algae is formed when kombucha is not acidic enough, the nutrient medium is slightly alkaline with a pH of 7,5-8,5.
Algae will not cause much harm to human health. However, it is better not to drink such a drink. To prevent the appearance of algae, you must follow the rules for caring for the fungus.
Insects
Flies, midges, ants and other insects carry the infection into a drink jar. They are attracted to nutrients that have arisen during the fermentation of sugar with yeast. Insects penetrate inside the jar, lay eggs on the body of the fungus. A day later, they turn into worms. The larvae crawl along the walls of the can, fall into the drink. It is absolutely impossible to drink such a tea infusion. To prevent insects from getting to the jellyfish, the neck of the jar should always be covered with a breathable cloth or napkin.
Kombuche diseases are often carried by insects.
Mold fungi
Tea jellyfish produce secondary metabolites. They do not allow the birth and spread of mold. However, if the mushroom growing technology is violated, the level of danger increases. Mold usually begins to germinate on young low-layered jellyfish when no starter was added during their laying. Mushrooms do not have time to develop acidity. In a slightly alkaline environment, mold quickly spreads.
Mold never appears between the layers of tea jellyfish. It grows on the surface of kombucha in contact with air. Mold is a dangerous, tenacious and insidious enemy. You can’t drink moldy drinks. If the mold is blue or black, the affected fungus should be discarded. When it is decided to cure kombucha, if it is sick, the whole drink is poured out. The upper layers of the jellyfish are removed, washed with water. Cleaned kombucha is placed in a sterilized jar, poured with a fresh solution with the addition of 1 tbsp. l. fruit vinegar.
Burn
In order for the tea jellyfish to live, sugar is periodically added to the drink. However, dry crystals cannot be poured into a jar of mushrooms. Sugar settles on the body of kombucha. From a high concentration, foci are created that form an alkaline environment. Colonies of beneficial bacteria die, which is displayed on the body with brown or brown spots. These are the burns. If you continue feeding in the same spirit, over time, kombucha will completely die.
Burns on the body of kombucha are easily identified by brown or brown areas.
Pure sugar is never poured into a jar. The solution is prepared in advance, and kombucha is already placed in it. If such negligence has already happened, the burned area is removed from the jellyfish. In the future, adhere to the rules for preparing a sweet solution.
How to revive kombucha
If the jellyfish can still be saved, first of all it is thoroughly washed with warm, clean water. Thick kombucha is separated in layers. Each “pancake” is laid out in sterilized jars, where a ready-made solution is poured from a weak brew of tea and sugar. The restoration will be evidenced by the film that appears on the surface of the kombucha of a matte shade. This is how new kombucha is formed. If the old mushroom did not float up over time, but sank to the bottom, you can safely throw it away. The young jellyfish continue to be fed. The drink can be drunk when the fungus fully restores its strength.
Most resuscitation methods are based on thoroughly rinsing kombucha with water.
How to understand that kombucha is dead
Live mushrooms float in the drink. When they get sick, they sink to the bottom of the jar. Medusa is urgently reanimated. After being placed in a new solution, kombucha will lie at the bottom for some time until it regains strength. If the mushroom does not want to emerge, you will have to say goodbye to it. A symptom of 100% indicates the impossibility of further resuscitation.
If, after resuscitation, the fungus continues to lie at the bottom of the jar, then it can be considered completely missing.
A few tips to keep kombucha from getting sick
Here are a few tips to help prevent fungal infections:
- For growing, I use sterilized jars with a volume of 2-3 liters. The neck is covered with breathable fabric. Nylon or metal lids must not be used.
- The solution is prepared from 1 liter of warm water and 100 g of sugar, and only after cooling to room temperature is poured into a jar.
- Always use two banks. A mushroom lives in one, and the other serves to drain the finished drink.
- It is optimal to keep kombucha in the shade at a temperature of about +25оC. The finished infusion is drained in winter after 5 days, in summer – after 4 days. Washing of the jellyfish in the summer is carried out after 2 weeks, in the winter – every 4 weeks.
Proper care will prevent the development of kombucha diseases
The mushroom should not stop in the finished drink. From this, a brownish film of a brown tint appears, indicating the beginning of the disappearance of kombucha.
Conclusion
It is not so difficult to understand that kombucha has gone bad by the changed appearance. It is more difficult to reanimate it, and sometimes it is simply impossible if the care technology is broken.