Two-Stage Kombucha Fermentation for Ambient Bacillus Coagulans
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional kombucha fermented beverages face challenges in maintaining active Bacillus coagulans at ambient temperature, requiring refrigeration and often exceed alcohol content standards due to complex bacterial ecology and yeast activity.
Innovation Solution
A two-stage fermentation process involving primary fermentation with Bacillus coagulans, Acetobacter aceti, and lactic acid bacteria, followed by secondary fermentation with yeast, and subsequent heat treatment to deactivate yeast, ensuring the beverage remains active at ambient temperature and within alcohol content limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional kombucha fermented beverage is stored at ambient temperature, then storage convenience is improved, but Bacillus coagulans becomes inactive and alcohol content exceeds standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the fermentation process into two distinct stages: first fermentation with Bacillus coagulans and lactic acid bacteria, then second fermentation with yeast. This segmentation allows each microorganism to perform its specific function at the appropriate time, preventing uncontrolled alcohol production while maintaining bacterial activity through controlled conditions in each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary pasteurization treatment on the sugary extract before adding Bacillus coagulans, and conducts the first fermentation completely before introducing yeast for the second fermentation. These preliminary actions establish controlled conditions that prevent premature alcohol production and ensure Bacillus coagulans remains active during storage.
2Reliability
If refrigeration is used to maintain active Bacillus coagulans, then bacterial activity is preserved, but storage convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fermentation parameters by controlling temperature ranges for different stages: 25-40°C for first fermentation to activate Bacillus coagulans, then lower temperatures for second fermentation with yeast. These parameter changes allow the beverage to maintain active bacteria at ambient temperature while controlling alcohol production through staged fermentation.
3Quantity of substance
If yeast is added for carbon dioxide production, then beverage effervescence is improved, but alcohol content exceeds regulatory standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fermentation process so that yeast is added only after the first fermentation is complete, conducting a controlled second fermentation. This timing segmentation ensures carbon dioxide production for effervescence while limiting alcohol generation to a controlled second stage that can be monitored and stopped before exceeding regulatory limits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous fermentation control by first pasteurizing the extract to eliminate wild yeast, then introducing controlled amounts of yeast only for the second fermentation stage. This continuous control ensures carbon dioxide production continues the useful effervescence function while preventing uncontrolled alcohol accumulation.
4Ease of manufacture
If SCOBY with complex bacterial ecology is used, then fermentation function is maintained, but hygiene safety and taste consistency become uncertain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates specific beneficial microorganisms (Bacillus coagulans and lactic acid bacteria) from the complex SCOBY ecology, using only these identified strains for the first fermentation. This extraction eliminates unknown hygiene risks and ensures consistent taste by using precisely identified cultures rather than the unpredictable mixed ecology of traditional SCOBY.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the microbial parameter by replacing the complex, unidentified SCOBY bacteria with specifically identified and controlled strains of Bacillus coagulans and lactic acid bacteria. This parameter change ensures hygiene safety through known microbial identities and maintains taste consistency through reproducible fermentation by controlled cultures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process enhances storage convenience and maintains the beverage's active properties while keeping alcohol content below regulatory standards, ensuring safety and consistency.
Implementation Method 1
adding Bacillus coagulans, Acetobacter aceti and lactic acid bacteria into the fermentation tank to continuously perform primary fermentation on the sugary extract
Implementation Method 2
adding yeast into the mixing tank to mix with the primary fermented material, and filtering the mixed primary fermented material and filling the filtered primary fermented material into a container for secondary fermentation
Implementation Method 3
after the secondary fermentation is completed, the secondary fermented material in the container is subjected to heat treatment to deactivate the yeast, the lactic acid bacteria, and the Acetobacter aceti in the container and stop fermentation reaction
Data Source
AI summary
The subject invention relates to two-stage inoculation and two-stage fermentation process which are performed by the inoculation time difference and staged fermentation. In the first stage, Bacillus coagulans, lactic acid bacteria and Acetobacter aceti are inoculated into a fermentation tank to perform primary fermentation to produce primary fermented material. In the second stage, yeast is added into the primary fermented material in a container to perform the secondary fermentation to produce secondary fermented material, and then the secondary fermented material is pasteurized to deactivate yeast, lactic acid bacteria and Acetobacter aceti in the container and stop fermentation reaction. Finally, the secondary fermented material is cooled to ambient temperature to prepare the kombucha fermented beverage preserving active Bacillus coagulans at ambient temperature. The invention is help to improve the preservation convenience of the kombucha fermented beverage and avoid excessive alcohol concentration.