SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast)
SCOBY
Japanese: SCOBY（Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast）
A symbiotic community of acetic acid bacteria and yeast used in kombucha fermentation. It forms a cellulose gel membrane and converts tea sugars into alcohol and organic acids.
SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast—a gelatinous, rubbery membrane essential for kombucha fermentation.
This membrane is made of cellulose (bacterial cellulose) produced by acetic acid bacteria. Yeast converts sugar into alcohol, and acetic acid bacteria convert that alcohol into acetic acid. Two organisms cooperate to transform sweet tea into a tangy beverage.
Also called a 'mother,' the SCOBY grows a new layer with each fermentation. From one SCOBY, generations of new ones are born—truly a living fermentation device.