Mother of Vinegar – Or – Kombucha?
by Colleen Allen The ‘Mother of Vinegar’ colony has often been confused with the ‘Kombucha’ colony, which is very similar in looks. However, because it lacks some of the essential components that are unique to the Kombucha colony, it will not give the same results when used to produce Kombucha Tea. The smooth, leathery, grayish, acetic film which forms on the surface of liquids containing unpasteurized vinegar, are called ‘Mother’ or ‘Mother of Vinegar’ (‘MOV’ for short), and are used exclusively to produce vinegar. If this colony is left undisturbed it can become quite thick and heavy, often heavy enough to fall, it is then succeeded by another formation on the surface. When making a new batch of vinegar, it is not necessary to add the vinegar colony to the new liquid, all you need to add is some of the liquid that was used to grow this ‘MOV’ colony. It has living acetic acid bacteria in it (Acetobacter), and will perform the same function as the Mother, producing another ‘MOV’ colony
