Kamil Wojciak, Staff Writer
During Earth Week, students learned and created their own probiotic sodas, while gaining knowledge of the culture and history of sugar. To gain more knowledge on sugar and to create their own probiotic sodas, students went to the second floor of the Student Center at 6:00 PM on April 28th.
Starting off, there was a round of introductions. Each individual stated their name, pronouns, major, and their relationship with sugar. Asia Dorsey, one of the event’s leaders, cleansed the air with the art of smudging, and allowed others to try out her three blends of probiotic sodas. The three blends were blueberry, root beer, and plain. Also, the audience learned more about the benefits of smudging on how these burnt herbs have antimicrobial properties and how they can literally cleanse the air.
The idea of our relationship of sugar became a large topic of discussion and became the main theme of the event. Dorsey explained how the sugar we mainly consume daily, white sugar, is empty and does not par with nature itself. However, Dorsey explained how white sugar can be complete and full if it is combined with molasses. Delving back into the past, the group starts to learn about the culture and history of sugar. Specifically, the group learned that in India, people drank sugar water made with sugarcane, and it was both nutritious and beneficial. It was now understood that before the mass production and creation of white sugar, sugar was a product of nature that had beneficial properties.
After all the conversing about sugar, it was time for people to start making their own probiotic sodas!
Here are the steps they followed:
Each individual grabbed their own jar that will serve as the place for primary fermentation.
People personally put their saliva in their jars (this is important to designate the microbes for production).
Ingredients were put in and consisted of water, sugar, lemons, dried fruit, and cultures.
Now for after the event: 24 to 48 hours of time for the drink to complete a cycle.
These steps will be able to create a fresh batch of probiotic sodas, however, Dorsey taught the audience on how to continue their batch and make it thrive. Do you remember how it was discussed that sugar and molasses make a whole and how that combination has beneficial properties? Well, that is exactly how the microbes are meant to be fed! Feeding the microbes properly with this sugar/molasses combo, and proper temperature regulation, will allow anyone to create as many batches of probiotic soda they want!
This event was a good mix of being educational and entertaining, learning about the nature of sugar and the creation of probiotic sodas. While Earth week may be over, the knowledge gained and the creation of new batches of probiotic sodas will continue on!