Credits: Social Media
Throw away that old kombucha at the back of your fridge because it might explode
More and more people are drinking kombucha for its health benefits, but you need to be careful how long you keep it.
The fermented black tea drink can explode if you leave it unopened for too long, and many have found that out the hard way.
Throw away your old kombucha
A warning to throw away your old bottles of kombucha has gone viral on TikTok thanks to one comedic video which sees a man removing the tea drink from his fridge wearing a face mask and socks over his hands to protect himself.
“This is a friendly reminder that if you have kombucha in your refrigerator and it’s been kind of a long time, don’t touch it. Get some oven mitts and maybe some protective eye goggles,” a woman says in a voice over.
The clip has accumulated more than 8.7 million views and had confused people asking in the comments: “Wait, why?”
Others explained that kombucha can explode, with one person writing: “On my first day at college this girl opened her kombucha in class and it EXPLODED all over at least three people.”
“I got into a car accident and my car was towed, WEEKS later I got it back and a kombucha exploded inside&.. I almost wanted to just leave my car,” said another.
A third added: “You have done a great service to humanity, because I WAS TODAY YEARS OLD when I found out that kombucha can explode!!”
Why does kombucha explode?
We spoke to food scientist Dr. Bryan Quoc Le to find out why kombucha explodes and he explained that the drink is brewed from tea and sugar using a special combination of yeast and bacteria.
“Normally, the yeast consumes the sugar to form ethanol, which is then oxidized by the bacteria to form acetic acid,” he said. “However, if kombucha remains sealed, the bacteria will no longer have access to oxygen, while the yeast will still be able to continue to produce ethanol.”
Carbon dioxide is also produced as a byproduct of fermentation, which can continue to form at refrigeration temperatures, increasing the internal pressure of the bottle. This can cause the bottle to explode, making a loud scary bang and a huge mess all over your refrigerator.
This carbon dioxide builds up quicker at warmer temperatures, so the bottle is more likely to explode in a car or out on the side. When refrigerated, the pressure will build slower, but it can still burst open if left for long enough.
Pasteurized kombucha will not have this problem as the pasteurization process kills all of the remaining yeast and stops the fermentation process.
Dr. Bryan Quoc Le is a food scientist, food engineer and food industry consultant with a PhD in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He wrote the book 150 Food Science Questions Answered and provides technical consultation to companies and startups in the food and beverage industry.
