Take a good look at the food additives in soy sauce

Professor Fan Zhihong, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University

Before the National Day holiday, a condiment company caused a controversy because the soy sauce it produced was suspected of "double standard"
.
This incident also caused some netizens to be anxious, everyone said that they did not know what soy sauce to eat, and they were curious about how to look at the food additives
in soy sauce.
What are the food additives in soy sauce? Why add food additives? What about security? How should I choose soy sauce?

A food additive used in soy sauce

The production of soy sauce may use a variety of food additives, what is the main role of these food additives in soy sauce production? The main raw materials of soy sauce are: water, soybeans (yellow soybeans or black soybeans), wheat (flour), salt
.
In addition to the main raw materials, the ingredients that may be added to soy sauce are: white sugar, fructose syrup, sucralose and other sweet substances; Sodium glutamate, disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide, yeast extract and other freshening substances; preservatives such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sodium dehydroacetate; Caramel color and other colorants
.

The first category: white sugar, fructose syrup, sucralose and other sweet substances

Interpretation: Sucralose was developed by the British, and the United States is its largest sales market

People know that when making a savory dish, putting a spoonful of sugar can make it taste more delicious and mellow.

So braised pork, shredded fish-flavored meat, Kung Pao chicken should be put in sugar.
.
.
A small amount of sugar in soy sauce will make the salty taste soft, delicious and rich
.

Fructose syrup is a product made by enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstarch, the ingredients are glucose and fructose, and it has a refreshing and delicious sweetness
.
Fructose syrup is also the main ingredient
in beverages such as cola and Sprite.

Sucralose is a sweetener with high sweetness and positive sweetness, this sweetener was first developed by the British, recognized by the International Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, and first used in Canada, and the United States is its largest sales market
.

The second category: sodium glutamate, disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide, yeast extract and other freshening substances

Interpretation: Fresheners are not scary, nor are they synthetic

Sodium glutamate is a monosodium glutamate
extracted from kelp extracted by Japanese scholars more than 100 years ago.

Disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide is an umami substance
present in chicken broth and broth.
Products such as "sour meat" are delicious because more disodium
5'-flavored nucleotide is produced during the post-ripening of cold meat.
Disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide is present in the nucleic acids of all organisms and is not a synthetic substance
.

Yeast extract is a freshening product
made by using yeast as raw material, enzymatically hydrolyzing the proteins and nucleic acids in it, and then isolating the umami substances and concentrating them.
It not only contains umami substances such as disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide and amino acids, but also contains a variety of B vitamins
.

In short, the freshener is not terrible, the key is not to overdose
.

The third category: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sodium dehydroacetate and other preservatives

Interpretation: The addition is to prevent soy sauce from deteriorating due to excessive mold after salt reduction

As for preservatives, moderate use can ensure that food is protected from contamination by bacteria
.
From the opening of the lid to the end of a bottle of soy sauce, if the salt content in it is not high or preservatives are not used, it is easy to suffer from foreign microorganisms and deteriorate
.
Under the standard of low-salt healthy diet, the amount of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate added per kilogram of soy sauce does not exceed 0.
5 grams, which can achieve antiseptic effect and is not harmful
to human health.

The fourth category: colorants such as caramel color

Interpretation: Widely used in snacks, cola and other foods

Caramel pigment is only added to old soy sauce products, and will not be added to raw soy sauce
.
This is because it has a strong coloring ability, adding one or two spoonfuls can brown a pot of dishes, suitable for braised and marinade foods
.

The so-called caramel is the brown substance
produced when the sugar color is fried.
To make foods such as rock sugar gourds and silk yam, you need to heat and melt white sugar, which will turn brown after being melted by heat, and this color is caramel pigment
.

There are different types of caramel pigments produced by modern industry, which are widely used in
beverages such as cola, bread and snacks, and condiments such as soy sauce and sauces.

Choose soy sauce to look at the "dry goods" indicator

In the face of a variety of soy sauce, how do consumers choose?

Take a look at the amino acid nitrogen content
.
The grade of soy sauce is divided by amino acid nitrogen
.
It reflects that the amount of amino acids produced in the soy sauce brewing process, the umami taste and nutritional value of soy sauce are closely related, and it can be said that it is the "dry goods" indicator
of soy sauce.

Amino acid nitrogen ≥ 0.
40%: tertiary soy sauce; Amino acid nitrogen ≥ 0.
55%: secondary soy sauce; Amino acid nitrogen ≥ 0.
70%: first-class soy sauce; Amino acid nitrogen ≥ 0.
80%: special grade soy sauce
.

Some products have higher amino acid nitrogen levels, up to 1.
20%-1.
30%.

Such soy sauce is naturally of high quality, not only delicious, rich in taste and rich in aroma, but theoretically has higher
nutritional value.

Second, look at the use
.
If you need a strong color dish for teriyaki, choose dark soy sauce
.
If you want stir-fried vegetables or coleslaw to taste delicious and have a refreshing color, use soy sauce with light soy sauce
.
Some soy sauces are combined type, check whether the ingredient list contains "caramel color", if it does not contain "caramel color", the coloring ability is weak
.

Three look at the sodium content
.
For health-conscious consumers, reducing the sodium content of soy sauce is an important choice
.
The nutrition facts list of soy sauce usually uses "one serving" per 10 g/ml or every 15 g/ml to indicate the sodium content
.
A spoonful of soy sauce is about 10 grams, so it is convenient
to label it this way.
Pay attention to convert all kinds of products into 10 grams, and then choose the lowest sodium content among the products with the highest amino acid nitrogen content
.

Look at the name of the product name
.
Only pure brewed soy sauce products can be called soy sauce
.
If you add soy sauce-like ingredients that are not brewed and made by chemical hydrolysis or enzymatic hydrolysis, they cannot be called soy sauce
.

China Food News (October 13, 2022, Edition 06).

(Editor: Zhu Meiqiao)