Microbiology, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activity of Sinom Beverages Kombucha Elok Zubaidah (a), Camelia Norosita Dewi (a), Ezza Selisa Yua (a), Nazhifa Vitya Putri (a)
a) Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia
Abstract
Kombucha is a traditional drink made from a fermented sweet tea with a mixed culture known as SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). Although kombucha is usually made from black tea, nowadays kombucha can be made in various variations such as sinom beverages. Sinom is a traditional Indonesian herbal drink originating from young tamarind leaves or sinom. In addition to tamarind leaves, sinom also includes other ingredients such as sugar and turmeric. Turmeric is known to contain curcumin which is beneficial for health because it has the ability as an antioxidant, anti inflammatory, antitumor, lowering blood fat and cholesterol levels. Tamarind leaves are known to contain chemical compounds of flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, steroids/triterpenoids and are included in the group of plant extracts that have antioxidant activity. These chemical compounds can be increased through the kombucha fermentation process. The concentration of turmeric rhizome used in kombucha was 0.8% (w/v), while the concentration of tamarind leaves used was 0%- 0.2%- 0.4%- 0.6%- 0.8%- and 1% (w/v). Sinom kombucha fermented for 7 days. The analysis performed included total microbes, total lactic acid bacteria, pH, total sugar, total phenol, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity against the growth of S .aureus and E. coli. Fermentation process and various concentrations of tamarind leaves used have significant effects in total microbes, total lactic acid bacteria, total sugar, total phenol, IC50. The antibacterial activity is affected by fermentation but not affected by the variations in tamarind leaf concentrations. The best tamarind leaves concentration was at 0.6%, which has a pH value of 3.81- total sugar content of 7.58%- and total phenol content of 240.9 mg GAE/ml- IC50 value of 159.84 ppm- total microbial count 3.37 x 107 CFU/mL- total lactic acid bacteria of 4.63 x 105- antibacterial activity against E. coli is 3.1 mm- and against S. aureus is 3.27 mm.
