Fruity, subtly sour, and mildly carbonated, water kefir is a probiotic drink that can please almost anyone.
Fruity, subtly sour, and mildly carbonated, water kefir is a probiotic drink that can please just about anyone. Tangy but not all-the-way tart like kombucha, and with less of the harsh acidic flavor of an apple cider vinegar elixir, it’s made when water, sugar, and water kefir grains — which are full of beneficial bacteria and yeasts — ferment.
The end result is a delightfully flavorful, sparkling beverage that’s increasingly popular with folks who want the benefits of probiotics without the caffeine or lactose of some fermented fan favorites. Speaking of the benefits: what does water kefir do for you, exactly? A growing number of studies are looking at the ways water kefir supports our health even beyond its good-for-your-gut probiotics. Today, we’ll take a peek at some of the positive health impacts those studies have pointed to, and we’ll also explain how water kefir is made and how it went from a humble drink with mysterious origins to a functional beverage on the rise.
In this article, you can find:
- What is Water Kefir?
- Where Do Water Kefir Grains Come From?
- What Does Water Kefir Do For You?
- How Much Alcohol Is In Water Kefir?
- What Goes Into Brewing Commercial Water Kefir?
- Why Water Kefir is The Beverage of the Future
What is Water Kefir?
Water kefir is a fermented beverage derived from a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also known as a SCOBY — albeit, one that’s distinctly different from the rubbery disc-like SCOBY used to make kombucha. In the making of water kefir, the SCOBY’s healthful microorganism colonies are encapsulated in a polysaccharide shell and appear white, gelatinous, and granulated — thus giving them the name “water kefir grains.”
Unlike milk kefir, which uses dairy as its primary fermenting agent, water kefir relies on a sugar-water solution, which sometimes includes fruit. Water kefir grains are then added to that solution and left to ferment for 24 to 72 hours, during which time the grains’ beneficial bacteria and yeasts consume and metabolize the sugar, producing the organic acids lactic acid and acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of ethanol, or alcohol. Finally, the liquid is strained to remove the water kefir grains, which can be used again for future batches. (In fact, many cultures even preserve and pass down their grains over generations as heirlooms!)
What you’re left with is a bubbly, tangy, and slightly sweet drink that often draws comparisons with natural sodas or kombucha, but with its own unique twist. While the water kefir is ready to drink now, some brewers do a second optional fermentation at this stage, using dried or fresh fruit to alter the flavor and increase carbonation.
Where Do Water Kefir Grains Come From?
Fermentation, including of kefir, is an ancient practice. While we have more archaeological evidence of milk kefir grains dating back to the Bronze Age, less is known about earlier civilizations’ use of water kefir grains. That said, SCOBYs that can propagate themselves in sugar solutions have historically been found worldwide in different plants and on different continents. For that reason, you can also expect slight variations in the specific composition of microorganisms in water kefir grains depending on what part of the globe you’re on, with no two cultures being alike.
The most popular and most strongly documented type of water kefir grains come from Mexico, where a SCOBY grows at the base of the prickly pear cactus in the form of hard granules, known locally as tibi. This is the origin of tibicos, another name for water kefir. These tibicos grains are used to make traditional Mexican fermented drinks like tepache.
What Does Water Kefir Do for You?
Perhaps you’ve already tried it, and you know you love the taste. But still, you’re left wondering: Is water kefir actually good for you?
The short answer? By many measures, yes! While it’s generally agreed that more studies, and especially clinical trials, are needed, researchers today have been exploring the positive impact of kefir’s beneficial bacterias on things like immunity and even tumor suppression and prevention. Particularly where it comes to gut health, findings appear encouraging — all the more so when you consider that a healthy, diverse gut microbiome can in turn influence everything from brain and heart health to a lowered risk of developing IBS and diabetes. And, as an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory drink, still other studies indicate kefir is good for digestion, liver health, and mental health.
How Much Alcohol Is In Water Kefir?
Alcohol is a natural byproduct of fermentation, which is why small amounts of it can be found in fermented beverages like water kefir. As with kombucha, to be sold as a non-alcoholic beverage in the U.S., water kefir must have an ABV of <0.5%, similar to the residual alcohol levels found in other foods like fruit juices, yogurt, and even ripe bananas. That’s for commercial water kefir; homebrewed kefirs often have a slightly higher ABV, depending on how long they’ve been allowed to ferment.
While the amount of alcohol we’re describing is ultimately a very small one — a standard hard seltzer, for comparison’s sake, has an ABV of 5% — it may still be enough for some folks to abstain. We believe and respect that everyone’s journey with alcohol is unique, and you should do what you (and your doctor!) feel is right for you.
What Goes Into Brewing Commercial Water Kefir?
In the private label manufacturing of water kefir at scale, different stages of the process must be carefully monitored to prevent contamination and maintain the right temperature to support the fermentation process.
While a warm temperature is required for fermentation, afterward, the drink has to be stored in a cool temperature to prevent over-fermentation and retain its pleasant taste. The overall process is also time-sensitive because if the kefir is left to ferment too long, the beverage’s alcohol content can rise. FedUp Foods’ Scalable Craft Brew Method™ ensures total alcohol compliance and also improves the quality of the live cultures with every brew.
Want more insight into how commercial brewers make water kefir? In general, the steps look like this:
Step 1: In specially-designed stainless steel tanks, organic sugar and filtered hot water are mixed to dissolve the sugar into solution. The ratio is typically 1 pound of sugar to 3 gallons of water. We can make anywhere between 450 gallons to 9,000 gallons depending on the need.
Step 2: The solution, or “mash,” is added to a temperature-cooled fermentation vessel along with water kefir grains (bacteria/yeast). For 3 gallons of water, 16 ounces of kefir grains are used and the mixture is left to ferment over 2-5 days. When fermentation is done, the completed kefir beverage is cooled to about 45°F, then filtered into a separate vessel awaiting packaging.
Step 3: Kefir is packaged cold and kept cold throughout the distribution process to ensure beverages arrive to the consumer at the right temperature.
Step 4: Different quality checks are performed along the way, such as measuring pH, temperature, acidity content, and alcohol content or submitting the finished products to human sensory evaluation for final approval.
What do commercial brewers do with their leftover water kefir grains?
Remember how we said water kefir grains are passed down between generations in some cultures, strengthening community ties? Commercial brewers can also choose to breathe continued life into their water kefir grains, including by:
- Repurposing them into DIY kits or gift sets for their customers.
- Trading surplus grains wholesale to the restaurant industry. Due to their interesting texture, some innovative chefs incorporate grains into cocktails, desserts, jellies, and jams. And since the grains contain yeasts, they can even be used in baking.
- Because of their biomolecular makeup, water kefir grains have even been used in industrial applications to protect against heavy metal toxicity.
Why Water Kefir is the Beverage of the Future
About 5% of the U.S. population is vegan, but that number is slowly and surely growing. Apart from that, at least 30 million Americans live with lactose intolerance. Furthermore, the plant-based food market is expanding at a breakneck pace – total revenue is expected to grow to $132.8 billion by 2030.
All data points toward the fact that people are increasingly opting for non-dairy, functional alternatives to almost everything, including their probiotics. As a plant-based alternative to milk kefir, water kefir is in demand as a versatile, mild-tasting, and fizzy probiotic. And unlike other probiotics, it’s not an acquired taste. Water kefir is quite easy to like, making it a more broadly appealing option compared to some other functional beverages and landing it in a growing number of supermarkets.
As one of the leading fermented beverage manufacturers in America, we at FedUp Foods are continually leveraging the latest biotechnology, regenerative ingredients, and sustainable practices to create some of the finest probiotic drinks, including water kefir, in the country.
Our in-house lab and product development capabilities allow us to remain competitive, innovate faster, and meet demand for new tastes and experiences, saving valuable time and resources.
Want to explore working with us? Reach out to us today.
