Difference between revisions of "Team:Austin UTexas/HP/Gold"

Line 9: Line 9:
  
  
−
<p>iGEM teams are unique and leading the field because they "go beyond the lab" to imagine their projects in a social/environmental context, to better understand issues that might influence the design and use of their technologies.</p>
+
<p>The Kombucha industry is big in Austin with a variety of local brands including Buddha’s Brew, Wunder-Pilz, Kosmic Kombucha, and K-Tonic. We met with Greg Goodman, founder of K-Tonic, to discuss the Kombucha industry and potential issues we could solve using synthetic biology. He discussed the ethanol production process in Kombucha and how it is challenging to control the content. The yeast in Kombucha produce ethanol as a part of the fermentation process. Most Kombucha however is sold as a non-alcoholic beverage for which the alcohol content cannot exceed 0.5%. Ethanol content increases over time as the yeast continues to ferment the drink and thus Kombucha doesn’t have a very long shelf life. We are working on combating this problem by increasing the rate at which the bacteria in the Kombucha convert the ethanol to acetic acid. </p>
−
<p>Teams work with students and advisors from the humanities and social sciences to explore topics concerning ethical, legal, social, economic, safety or security issues related to their work. Consideration of these Human Practices is crucial for building safe and sustainable projects that serve the public interest. </p>
+
−
<p>For more information, please see the <a href="https://2016.igem.org/Human_Practices">Human Practices Hub</a>.</p>
+
  
 
</div>
 
</div>

Revision as of 18:48, 14 October 2016

The Kombucha industry is big in Austin with a variety of local brands including Buddha’s Brew, Wunder-Pilz, Kosmic Kombucha, and K-Tonic. We met with Greg Goodman, founder of K-Tonic, to discuss the Kombucha industry and potential issues we could solve using synthetic biology. He discussed the ethanol production process in Kombucha and how it is challenging to control the content. The yeast in Kombucha produce ethanol as a part of the fermentation process. Most Kombucha however is sold as a non-alcoholic beverage for which the alcohol content cannot exceed 0.5%. Ethanol content increases over time as the yeast continues to ferment the drink and thus Kombucha doesn’t have a very long shelf life. We are working on combating this problem by increasing the rate at which the bacteria in the Kombucha convert the ethanol to acetic acid.