Medicinal herbs (Cardamom, Cinnamon, Shirazi thyme)

Kombucha-Like Beverage Preparation with Acerola Byproduct

### Starter Culture and Inoculum Preparation
- Obtain SCOBY from a local source and maintain in sugared green tea.
- Prepare the inoculum by infusing green tea, adding glucose, fructose, liquid broth, and biofilm from the mother kombucha.
- Identify main strains in the inoculum.

### Acerola Byproduct Preparation
- Obtain acerola byproduct from juice clarification step.
- Dry the byproduct in a vacuum oven, then mill it.
- Prepare extracts with varied total phenolic content using different concentrations of acerola byproduct.
- Filter the extracts, add glucose, fructose, and inoculum.
- Distribute the mixture in falcon tubes and monitor fermentation for 15 days.

### Characterization of Kombucha-Like Beverage
- pH Measurement: Measure pH during fermentation.
- Determination of Sugars, Acetic Acid, and Ethanol: Use HPLC to determine concentrations.
- Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity: Evaluate using colorimetric methods.
- Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): Quantify ascorbic acid content.
- Microbiological Analysis: Perform plate counting for yeasts and acetic acid bacteria.
- Cellulose Characterization: Purify cellulose samples to remove impurities.

### Results and Discussion
- Kinetic Evaluation of pH: Monitor pH reduction during fermentation process.

This procedure outlines the preparation of a kombucha-like beverage using acerola byproduct as a raw material. It involves preparing the starter culture, inoculum, acerola extracts, monitoring fermentation, characterizing the beverage, and analyzing results obtained during the process.#