Kombucha Fermentation Remodels the Phytochemical Composition of Gooseberry Juices and Reveals a Divergence Between Phenolic Abundance and HepG2 Cell Growth Inhibition
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Fruit, Vegetable and Plant Nutraceutical Technology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 37 Chelmonskiego Street, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland
- 2Food, Nutrition and Health Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, 2205 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- 3Department of Fermentation and Cereals Technology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 37 Chelmonskiego Street, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland
- 4Department of Biotechnology and Food Microbiology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 37 Chelmonskiego Street, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland
- 5Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 27 Norwida Street, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
Abstract
Kombucha fermentation can modify the phytochemical composition and biological properties of fruit-based beverages, although these changes may differ depending on the fermentation substrate. This study investigated the effects of 10-day kombucha fermentation using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) on red and white gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) juices supplemented with sucrose or buckwheat honey. Physicochemical characteristics, phenolic and volatile profiles, antioxidant capacity, enzyme inhibitory activities, HepG2 cell growth, gene expression, and sensory acceptance were evaluated. Fermentation decreased sugar concentrations and increased organic acid and ethanol contents. The concentrations of several flavan-3-ols, including epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate, increased, whereas selected oligomeric procyanidins decreased. Red gooseberry beverages were characterized by a greater contribution of esters to their volatile profiles, while alcohols predominated among the identified volatile compounds in white gooseberry beverages. Red gooseberry formulations generally exhibited higher phenolic concentrations and antioxidant capacity, with the honey-supplemented variant showing particularly high values. However, phenolic-enriched extracts isolated from fermented white gooseberry beverages inhibited HepG2 cell growth more strongly than extracts from red gooseberry beverages. White gooseberry extracts also altered the expression of selected genes associated with metabolism and cancer-related signaling. Sensory evaluation indicated the highest overall acceptance for sucrose-supplemented red gooseberry juice. These findings demonstrate that the effects of kombucha fermentation depend on gooseberry juice type and carbon source, and that phenolic abundance and antioxidant capacity do not necessarily predict cellular growth-inhibitory effects or sensory acceptance.
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BibTeX
@article{chandran2026kombucha,
title = {{Kombucha Fermentation Remodels the Phytochemical Composition of Gooseberry Juices and Reveals a Divergence Between Phenolic Abundance and HepG2 Cell Growth Inhibition}},
author = {Akshay K. Chandran and Gloria-Renate Klein and Joanna Kawa-Rygielska and Anita Rywińska and Antoni Szumny and Jiaxi Zhang and Huiying A. Zhang and Cayla Boycott and Barbara Stefanska and Joanna Kolniak-Ostek},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219794},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9794},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Kombucha Fermentation Remodels the Phytochemical Composition of Gooseberry Juices and Reveals a Divergence Between Phenolic Abundance and HepG2 Cell Growth Inhibition
AU - Akshay K. Chandran
AU - Gloria-Renate Klein
AU - Joanna Kawa-Rygielska
AU - Anita Rywińska
AU - Antoni Szumny
AU - Jiaxi Zhang
AU - Huiying A. Zhang
AU - Cayla Boycott
AU - Barbara Stefanska
AU - Joanna Kolniak-Ostek
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219794
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9794
AB - Kombucha fermentation can modify the phytochemical composition and biological properties of fruit-based beverages, although these changes may differ depending on the fermentation substrate. This study investigated the effects of 10-day kombucha fermentation using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) on red and white gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) juices supplemented with sucrose or buckwheat honey. Physicochemical characteristics, phenolic and volatile profiles, antioxidant capacity, enzyme inhibitory activities, HepG2 cell growth, gene expression, and sensory acceptance were evaluated. Fermentation decreased sugar concentrations and increased organic acid and ethanol contents. The concentrations of several flavan-3-ols, including epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate, increased, whereas selected oligomeric procyanidins decreased. Red gooseberry beverages were characterized by a greater contribution of esters to their volatile profiles, while alcohols predominated among the identified volatile compounds in white gooseberry beverages. Red gooseberry formulations generally exhibited higher phenolic concentrations and antioxidant capacity, with the honey-supplemented variant showing particularly high values. However, phenolic-enriched extracts isolated from fermented white gooseberry beverages inhibited HepG2 cell growth more strongly than extracts from red gooseberry beverages. White gooseberry extracts also altered the expression of selected genes associated with metabolism and cancer-related signaling. Sensory evaluation indicated the highest overall acceptance for sucrose-supplemented red gooseberry juice. These findings demonstrate that the effects of kombucha fermentation depend on gooseberry juice type and carbon source, and that phenolic abundance and antioxidant capacity do not necessarily predict cellular growth-inhibitory effects or sensory acceptance.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -