What does sugar do in the fermentation process of kombucha?
Of all the food ingredients in the world, sugar is one of the most researched. Its delicious taste makes it easy for people to crave more. But too much sugar can lead to all sorts of health issues. If kombucha is supposed to be a healthy alternative to regular soda, why is there sugar in the ingredient list? Well, we won't sugarcoat the answer!
HOW MUCH SUGAR DOES YUGEN KOMBUCHA CONTAIN?
Yugen only uses organic cane sugar to ferment the tea. Cane sugar actually contains more minerals, vitamins, fibers and phytonutrients in comparison to refined white sugar.*
In total, Yugen Kombucha contains 3,8gr of sugar (or 15Kcal) per 100ml. This is leftover fermentation sugar combined with the naturally occurring fruit sugar from our real juices. That's about one tablespoon of sugar per bottle or can.
- Lipton Ice Tea: 8gr/100ml
- Coca Cola: 10,6gr/100ml
- Fritz Cola: 11gr/100ml
- Minute Maid Orange Juice: 8,8gr/100ml
- Red Bull: 11gr/100ml
- Fever Tree Ginger Beer: 9gr/100ml
- Almdudler: 7,9gr/100ml
- Lemonaid Citron Vert: 6gr/100ml
- Bionina Mister Lemon: 10gr/100ml
- Bos Lime Ginger: 4,9gr/100ml
- Little Miracles Acai: 6,1gr/100ml
WHY SUGAR?
Sugar is an essential ingredient in kombucha. But the main consumers of the sugar in our kombucha are microorganisms, not drinkers.
That’s because sugar is the prime food source for our hungry bacteria and yeast, the living organisms that make kombucha so unique. These organisms need sugar to ferment the sweetened tea into tart kombucha. In the end, the left-over sugar helps to balance out the flavour of the brew.
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
We start by adding organic cane sugar to brewed tea. Once cooled, we introduce the cultures (SCOBY). The yeast go first—breaking sucrose into glucose and fructose, then converting it into alcohol and CO₂. Next, bacteria take over, turning that alcohol into acetic and gluconic acids. After about a month, most of the sugar is gone, leaving a brew that’s lightly sweet and nicely tart.
WHAT TYPE OF SUGAR?
Kombucha can be made with many sugars—white sugar, agave, honey, coconut sugar, molasses—as long as they contain carbohydrates. That’s essential, because the yeast and bacteria need carbs to feed on to start fermentation. Low- or no-calorie sweeteners like stevia won’t work.
Compared to traditional soft drinks, our kombucha has 2–3x less sugar—but none of the flavour is lost. Our proprietary fermentation creates rich, fruity aromas, layered with herbs and pure juice. The result? Bold, complex taste without excess sugar, sweeteners, or additives.
Cheers!
