Kombucha has a complex fermentation pathway due to the symbiotic relationship between the bacteria and yeast that yields its unique composition. While the yeast convert sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide, the bacteria simultaneously convert alcohol to acetic acid and glucose to gluconic acid. Currently, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is the most common method for determining the identities and concentrations of acids in a multi-acid system, such as kombucha. We have developed a less expensive and more universal approach for the determination of these intrinsic values through the process of potentiometric titration. Initially, to better understand the unique form of the titration curves, Mathcad was utilized to enact an algorithm that generates theoretical titration curves for mixtures of acids common to kombucha. Experimental titration data were collected for mixtures with known acid concentrations whose theoretical titration curves showed discernable qualities. These data were analyzed through a separate algorithm developed within Mathcad which performs a linear regression of titration curve data to ascertain the concentration and acid dissociation constant (<i>K</i><sub>a</sub>) of all components. Since the experimental data came from samples with known acid identities and concentrations, the applicability of the linear regression technique to such systems was verified. Finally, the process was enacted on samples of kombucha, providing an inexpensive and widely applicable method for determining acid identities and concentrations in an acidic mixture.

Development of a computational method for determining the identities of weak organic acids and their concentrations in a complex mixture such as kombucha

ACS Spring 2022

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