Is Kombucha Halal Food?

For a long time, tea has been regarded in China as a medicinal and herbal mixture to treat various diseases. Over time, tea began to be used as a beverage by brewing it and mixing it with other ingredients such as herbs or fruits. The habit of drinking tea spread until it has now become a trend.

Kombucha is considered a healthy alternative. What is kombucha? Can Muslims consume it?

According to UNDIP Giziklopedia, kombucha originated in East Asia and began to spread through Russia to Germany in the early 20th century. This beverage is in great demand among many groups because it is believed to have many health benefits.

Kombucha is one of the fermented beverage products made between symbiotic bacteria and fungi, with functional properties. Usually, fermentation is carried out with tea and sugar solution using a kombucha culture starter called a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). SCOBY itself is formed by the symbiosis of acetic acid bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and osmophilic yeast, which are incorporated into cellulose tissue.

Making kombucha is relatively simple, because it requires minimal equipment and materials, and they are easy to obtain. This tea can be made by infusing camellia leaves (black, green or oolong tea) and adding granulated sugar. Then a layer of cellulose, or SCOBY, is inoculated at room temperature. The acetic acid bacteria and yeast of the SCOBY ferment and characterize the beverage. Some studies report that previously fermented tea can serve as a starter to begin the subsequent fermentation process.

Unlike other teas, kombucha has a unique taste and aroma—sour, sweet and lightly carbonated, much like cider. This tea contains various minerals, vitamins and organic acids—a kombucha culture using the symbiosis of Acetobacter xylinum and several yeasts (such as Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces and Zygosaccharomyces).

Kombucha has higher nutritional value than ordinary tea. The activity of microorganisms during fermentation produces various health-beneficial compounds, including organic acids (glucuronic acid, acetic acid, etc.), essential amino acids, folic acid, enzymes, antibiotics and phenolic compounds (the higher the phenolic compounds produced, the higher the antioxidant activity). In addition, kombucha contains more organic vitamins and amino acids than ordinary tea.

Judging from the various ingredients it has, its benefits are undoubtedly of great help to physical health. Some of them have antibacterial, antidiabetic, antioxidant and probiotic functions, making the gut healthier, helping bowel movements be smoother, improving the gut microbiota, lowering blood pressure, increasing the body's resistance, lowering cholesterol, preventing cardiovascular disease, stimulating the human immune system, and reducing inflammation. Kombucha can also improve digestion, treat anal swelling, prevent cancer, and treat constipation and headaches.

What is Islam's ruling on kombucha?

Kombucha is made with vegetables (tea) as the main raw material and is included in the non-critical (positive) list. Even so, the halal status of kombucha still has a critical point. What are they?

As previously discussed, kombucha is a fermented beverage, so in this process it produces by-products in the form of alcohol to a certain extent. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contributes to the result of this fermentation. During the fermentation process, Saccharomyces cerevisiae anaerobically produces alcohol, which means that the sugar in the medium used by Saccharomyces cerevisiae is then converted into alcohol.

Many people believe the fermentation process is one of the critical points of halal products, because it should produce by-products in the form of alcohol. Not all fermentations can produce results in the form of alcohol. The average alcohol content of kombucha is below 0.5%.

In the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Fatwa No. 10 of 2018 on food and beverage products containing alcohol/ethanol, it states that fermented beverage products with an alcohol/ethanol content below 0.5% are legally Halal food, as long as the process does not use khamr (intoxicant) ingredients and is medically harmless.

Even so, kombucha has another critical halal point to note. Heryani, S.Si., M.TPn, laboratory manager and auditor at the Indonesian Ulema Council Assessment Institute for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics (LPPOM MUI), explained that the medium for growing bacteria and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during fermentation is one of them.

'It can be made using a microbial medium. The critical point of the microbial medium lies in the nitrogen source of the nutrients for bacterial growth, which may come from ingredients such as meat extract and peptone hydrolyzed meat. This meat that needs to be traced comes from halal animals slaughtered according to Islamic law or from prohibited animals,' Heryani said.

Another critical ingredient is sugar, which may use activated carbon from animal bones during manufacture. During manufacture, sugar sometimes uses ion-exchange resin auxiliary materials. Therefore, it must be ensured that the resin does not use gelatin from impure animals. Another equally important thing is the use of flavorings, which contain ingredients from animal and plant fats.