Found a fruit fly in my kombucha...

Last week, after bottling my first brew, I put the mother with starter tea in the pantry in a pyrex bowl, covered with a coffee filter and tight-fitting rubber band. After 2 days, I was ready to start my 2nd batch and when I removed the filter, I found a fruit fly at the top of the jar (ick). I removed the fly and then thoroughly rinsed the mother with water. I discarded the starter tea and made a new batch.

Today, 8 days later, I check on my brew and I see a tiny little larva perched at the top of my jar, on the glass wall. I carefully removed it with a paper towel and inspected the jar but I don't see any more larvae. Part of me is grossed out and wants to toss the whole thing, but I also reeeeally don't want to toss it. I've got a gallon of wonderful kombucha ready for bottling!

What would you do?

Large house flies get into all kinds of nasty things, but fruit flies are pretty clean. Bottle it & enjoy.

Zapped said:

Large house flies get into all kinds of nasty things, but fruit flies are pretty clean. Bottle it & enjoy.

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Fruit flies are not clean. They carry acetobacteria which can turn alcohol into vinegar.

Thanks @AZ_IPA, I didn't know that. I knew that common flies are attracted to trash & pet waste, and for sure I wouldn't want those any where near my KT. Haven't had any problem with fruit flies so I shouldn't have commented.

I'd be inclined to drink the current batch. My concern is that the mother/daughter may continue to carry any infection forward into all future batches. Can the scoby be "washed" in something (vinegar?) that would kill the bad stuff but not harm the scoby?

AZ_IPA said:

Fruit flies are not clean. They carry acetobacteria which can turn alcohol into vinegar.

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Lol. What do you think your "mother" is doing?

Pitch all of it. You'll be second guessing yourself forever. Get a new scoby and start over.

The scoby is not needed to make KT. I get rid of mine after every batch and just dump in some of the fermented tea into the new batch. Likely the scoby protected the tea and you're all good. Unless you have access to unlimited clean and free scobies and starter tea I would keep with it.

If you have another SCOBY – toss it.

If you don't –*wash the SCOBY in apple cider vinegar for no less than 60 seconds to shock the outer layers and maybe kill any unwanted baddies the fly left with you.

If it was me I would throw it and start again. Because you found a fruit fly and it left larva behind. But its up to you to take which peoples advice (Keep or not to keep) If it was other fermented food and you found a fly, the question is, would you eat that?