ERIC Number: EJ1443129
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-May
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Available Date: N/A
Quantitative Determination of Ethyl Alcohol in Kombucha Using an Inexpensive Sensing Device
Joseph W. Shane; Lauren E. Shearer; John N. Richardson; Jeb S. Kegerreis
Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n5 p1942-1947 2023
Kombucha, a popular probiotic beverage, contains detectable concentrations of ethyl alcohol. To be sold as a nonalcoholic product, alcohol concentrations in kombucha must be shown to be less than 0.5% by volume. This paper describes the use of an inexpensive, commercially available sensor to reliably and accurately measure alcohol concentrations in kombucha across a variety of undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses. Procedures and assessment data are also provided for two courses: an introductory course for nonchemistry majors and upper-division analytical chemistry. In the case of the analytical chemistry course, results from the alcohol sensor were compared to headspace gas chromatography as a capstone assessment. In all cases, the alcohol content of multiple commercial kombucha samples were determined, and students submitted final reports using appropriate scientific writing aligned with precise learning objectives.
Descriptors: Food, Chemistry, Measurement, Science Laboratories, Undergraduate Students, Introductory Courses, Nonmajors, Majors (Students), Science Activities, Science Instruction, Measurement Techniques
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A