What causes kava spoilage?
Today’s fact of the day will be reminiscent of one from the past titled “The Bacterial Content in Kava”, however today’s fact will be addressing specifically bacterial, mold and yeast counts in kava left in the fridge.
A question we see asked quite often is “How long does my kava stay good in the fridge?”. Here we find a research study addressing this question. In 2011 researchers at the University of Hawaii at Moana set out to quantify and identify bacterial growth in fresh kava beverages, and dry kava beverages. All of these kava beverages were collected from Kava bars in Honolulu.
Researchers refrigerated the kava beverage samples, and observed them at zero, three and six day intervals. They found various types of bacteria, yeasts and mold in kava, but focused on Pseudomonas Spp, bacteria known as the main causing agent of food spoilage of fresh foods stored in aerobic refrigerated conditions, as well as lactic acid bacteria (LAB).
Lactic acid bacteria, the bacteria group Pseudomonas, and yeast and mold were seen to increase very considerably when prepared kava is left uncovered in the fridge. Results from this study show the LAB (lactic acid bacteria) in the samples were possibly responsible for fermentation of carbohydrates into lactic acid, this also results in increasing acidity of kava over time as well as imparting a sour flavor. It also showed yeast and molds increasing by 1.62 logs over the 6 days spent in refrigeration and this too can account for spoilage of kava beverages. When addressing Pseudomona bacteria, the study suggests that removing oxygen from the container by vacuum sealing may prevent a fair degree of spoilage.
Summary:
Kava has a definite shelf life even at refrigerator temperatures. There has been some thought in the past that kava itself is antimicrobial, however we don’t necessarily see that in this study. The results of testing kava at 0, 3, and 6 day intervals yielded increasing counts of bacterias, yeasts and molds thought to contribute to food spoilage. None of these levels crossed the line into being unsafe at 6 days, however the organoleptic (taste & smell) qualities of the kava suffer extensively at this extended time period.
Dong, J., P. Kandukuru, A. S. Huang, and Y. Li. 2011. “PCR-DGGE Analysis of Bacterial Community Dynamics in Kava Beverages during Refrigeration.” Letters in Applied Microbiology 53 (1): 30–34. https://sci-hub.st/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03065.x
Today’s fact of the day will be reminiscent of one from the past titled “The Bacterial Content in Kava”, however today’s fact will be addressing specifically bacterial, mold and yeast counts in kava left in the fridge.
A question we see asked quite often is “How long does my kava stay good in the fridge?”. Here we find a research study addressing this question. In 2011 researchers at the University of Hawaii at Moana set out to quantify and identify bacterial growth in fresh kava beverages, and dry kava beverages. All of these kava beverages were collected from Kava bars in Honolulu.
Researchers refrigerated the kava beverage samples, and observed them at zero, three and six day intervals. They found various types of bacteria, yeasts and mold in kava, but focused on Pseudomonas Spp, bacteria known as the main causing agent of food spoilage of fresh foods stored in aerobic refrigerated conditions, as well as lactic acid bacteria (LAB).
Lactic acid bacteria, the bacteria group Pseudomonas, and yeast and mold were seen to increase very considerably when prepared kava is left uncovered in the fridge. Results from this study show the LAB (lactic acid bacteria) in the samples were possibly responsible for fermentation of carbohydrates into lactic acid, this also results in increasing acidity of kava over time as well as imparting a sour flavor. It also showed yeast and molds increasing by 1.62 logs over the 6 days spent in refrigeration and this too can account for spoilage of kava beverages. When addressing Pseudomona bacteria, the study suggests that removing oxygen from the container by vacuum sealing may prevent a fair degree of spoilage.
Summary:
Kava has a definite shelf life even at refrigerator temperatures. There has been some thought in the past that kava itself is antimicrobial, however we don’t necessarily see that in this study. The results of testing kava at 0, 3, and 6 day intervals yielded increasing counts of bacterias, yeasts and molds thought to contribute to food spoilage. None of these levels crossed the line into being unsafe at 6 days, however the organoleptic (taste & smell) qualities of the kava suffer extensively at this extended time period.
Dong, J., P. Kandukuru, A. S. Huang, and Y. Li. 2011. “PCR-DGGE Analysis of Bacterial Community Dynamics in Kava Beverages during Refrigeration.” Letters in Applied Microbiology 53 (1): 30–34. https://sci-hub.st/10.1111/j.1472-765X.2011.03065.x
