ArticlePeerJ2019
Kombucha: a novel model system for cooperation and conflict in a complex multi-species microbial ecosystem.
Article in PeerJ, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 172 citations in OpenAlex.
- From rhizosphere to gut: microbial drivers of tea flavor and bioactivity.NPJ science of food · 2026Article
- Article
- Changes in Short- and Medium-Chain Fatty Acids and Sugars During Kombucha Fermentation of Tea and Coffee Byproducts and Their Relation to Sourness.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Kombucha production using raw materials from Brazil.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Multi-Omics Insights into Microbial Interactions and Fermented Food Quality.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- SCOBY-based, innovative, and sustainable production of gallic acid from sucrose towards multipurpose applications.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Comparative Analysis of Microbial Communities and Biopolymer Production in Kombucha.Journal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Article
- ThaiFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comprehensive survey of kombucha microbial communities of diverse origins and fermentation practices.FEMS yeast research · 2025Article
- Phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antileishmanial activities of kombucha as affected by fermentation time.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Functionalizing the Electrical Properties of Kombucha Zoogleal Mats for Biosensing Applications.ACS omega · 2024Article
- Elaboration and Characterization of Novel Kombucha Drinks Based on Truffles (Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Microbiological, Functional, and Chemico-Physical Characterization of Artisanal Kombucha: An Interesting Reservoir of Microbial Diversity.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Metabolomic kinetics investigation ofHeliyon · 2024Article
- Identification of Key Parameters Inducing Microbial Modulation during Backslopped Kombucha Fermentation.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Kombucha Tea-associated microbes remodel host metabolic pathways to suppress lipid accumulation.PLoS genetics · 2024Article
- Volatilome, Microbial, and Sensory Profiles of Coffee Leaf and Coffee Leaf-Toasted Maté Kombuchas.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Regulatory mechanisms and applications ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Review
- Metagenomic, organoleptic profiling, and nutritional properties of fermented kombucha tea substituted with recycled substrates.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Kombucha, a fermented tea beverage with an acidic and effervescent taste, is composed of a multispecies microbial ecosystem with complex interactions that are characterized by both cooperation and conflict. In kombucha, a complex community of bacteria and yeast initiates the fermentation of a starter tea (usually black or green tea with sugar), producing a biofilm that covers the liquid over several weeks. This happens through several fermentative phases that are characterized by cooperation and competition among the microbes within the kombucha solution. Yeast produce invertase as a public good that enables both yeast and bacteria to metabolize sugars. Bacteria produce a surface biofilm which may act as a public good providing protection from invaders, storage for resources, and greater access to oxygen for microbes embedded within it. The ethanol and acid produced during the fermentative process (by yeast and bacteria, respectively) may also help to protect the system from invasion by microbial competitors from the environment. Thus, kombucha can serve as a model system for addressing important questions about the evolution of cooperation and conflict in diverse multispecies systems. Further, it has the potential to be artificially selected to specialize it for particular human uses, including the development of antimicrobial ecosystems and novel materials. Finally, kombucha is easily-propagated, non-toxic, and inexpensive, making it an excellent system for scientific inquiry and citizen science.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.