Evidence mapPaperPMID 40870682Full record

ArticleFoods (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Functional Compound Bioaccessibility and Microbial Viability in Green and Black Tea Kombucha During Simulated Digestion.

Gloria Ghion, Jacopo Sica, Sofia Massaro, Armin Tarrah, Tove Gulbrandsen Devold, Davide Porcellato, Alessio Giacomini, Frederico Augusto Ribeiro de Barros, Viviana Corich, Chiara Nadai

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Gloria GhionDepartment of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-5809-6645
Jacopo SicaDepartment of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy.
Sofia MassaroDepartment of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy.
Armin TarrahCanadian Research Institute for Food Safety, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5444-7145
Tove Gulbrandsen DevoldFaculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-6824-2397
Davide PorcellatoFaculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway.
Alessio GiacominiDepartment of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4124-0142
Frederico Augusto Ribeiro de BarrosDepartment of Food and Technology, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0001-7300-8773
Viviana CorichDepartment of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0774-665X
Chiara NadaiDepartment of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Padova, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4499-8653

Funding

Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation BR22GR06Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Kombucha, a fermented tea beverage, is gaining popularity due to its rich content of bioactive compounds and associated health benefits. Kombucha fermentation involves a complex microbial consortium, including acetic acid bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts, that works synergistically to enhance its nutritional and functional properties. Key compounds produced during fermentation provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial benefits. Despite its well-documented health-promoting properties, limited research exists on how human digestion influences the stability and functionality of kombucha bioactive components. This study investigated how digestion impacts kombucha made from green and black teas, focusing on free amino acid content, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial potential, and microbiota viability. Results showed that digestion significantly increased free amino acids, as fermentation released peptides suitable for gastrointestinal digestion. However, L-theanine, a beneficial tea compound, was no longer detectable after fermentation and digestion, suggesting limited bioaccessibility. Digested kombucha exhibited higher antioxidant activity and stronger antimicrobial effects compared to undigested tea. Moreover, culture-dependent and PMA-based sequencing confirmed the survival of viable microbial strains through simulated gastrointestinal conditions, suggesting the potential of kombucha as a source of live, functional microbes. These findings support the role of kombucha as a natural functional beverage whose health benefits not only persist but may be enhanced after digestion.

Indexed as

antimicrobial activityantioxidant activityfermentationfree amino acidskombuchaL-theanine

Identifiers

PMID40870682
PMCPMC12385410

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.