How to choose safer soy sauce? What are the cognitive misunderstandings? Learn more in one article →

Recently, reports that cadmium and arsenic were detected in several types of soy sauce have become a hot topic. Although the content of heavy metals in the test results did not exceed the national standard, the issue of soy sauce, an indispensable condiment in every household, still caused heated discussions on social platforms.

Is “zero additives” a waste of money? How to choose a safe soy sauce? How to eat soy sauce healthily? What are the other misunderstandings about soy sauce? This article will show you how to do it↓↓↓

“Zero Additive” ≠ Safe and Healthy

"Zero additives" is more of a slogan used by businesses to promote their products. On the one hand, the "Regulations for the Implementation of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates that "substances that must not be contained or used according to food safety standards" must not be marked with words such as "no additives" or "does not contain" on food labels, instructions, or advertisements.

Moreover, the standardized use of food additives has the function of ensuring food safety. Claiming that a food has "zero additives" does not mean that it becomes an "excellent student" in terms of safety.

We should learn to read food labels, understand the specific contents of ingredients and nutritional content, and try to choose products with relatively few additives and produced by regular manufacturers.

How to choose soy sauce is safer and healthier

▲ Look at the label on the bottle: Eat "brewed soy sauce", not "prepared soy sauce"

On June 29, 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Announcement on Strengthening the Supervision and Management of the Quality and Safety of Soy Sauce and Vinegar", proposing that soy sauce and vinegar manufacturers shall no longer produce and sell products labeled as "prepared soy sauce" and "prepared vinegar".

Prepared soy sauce is made from brewed soy sauce as the main ingredient, to which acid hydrolyzed vegetable protein slurry is added, and then a small amount of food additives are added. During the production process, prepared soy sauce not only further dilutes the brewed soy sauce, reducing its nutritional value, but also poses the risk of excessive levels of chloropropanol. Chloropropanol compounds are toxic to the liver, kidneys, nervous system, and blood circulation system of the human body, and have certain mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. If the soy sauce stored or used at home is "prepared soy sauce", it is recommended that you stop consuming it.

▲Look at the national standard classification: the higher the content of "amino acid nitrogen", the better

According to the national standard GB 18186-2000, soy sauce is divided into special grade (≥0.80g/100ml), first grade (≥ 0.70%), second grade (≥ 0.55%), and third grade (≥ 0.40%) according to the different amino acid nitrogen contents. Special grade soy sauce should have an amino acid nitrogen content of ≥0.8%, and it tastes the best.

You can also shake the bottle of soy sauce to see: the soy sauce with small, even bubbles that are not easy to disperse is good. When high-quality soy sauce is shaken, it will produce a lot of small, even bubbles that are not easy to disperse. The appearance of this kind of foam is actually closely related to amino acid nitrogen. When there is a lot of amino acid nitrogen, the foam in the soy sauce will appear in this state.

▲ Look at the salt content: Too much salt means loss, the lower the salt content, the healthier

Soy sauce also contains salt. For health reasons, we should try to choose soy sauce with lower sodium content. You can compare the premium soy sauce and choose the one with lower sodium content. Some soy sauces have words like "reduced salt" or "low salt" on them, which can also be preferred.

It should be noted that different soy sauces may have different amounts in their nutritional information, so when comparing sodium content, you should first convert it to the same amount. For example, a premium soy sauce may have a nutritional information table that says "per 10ml" and another premium soy sauce may have a nutritional information table that says "per 15ml", so you need to convert it first when comparing.

▲Look at the raw material configuration: soybeans and wheat are preferred

The main fermentation raw materials for soy sauce are soybeans, soybean meal, wheat and bran.

In comparison, the use of soybeans and soybean meal has little effect on the quality of soy sauce; wheat is richer in sugars, so the aroma will become richer during the later fermentation process; bran has a lower cost and a moderate taste.

How to eat soy sauce more safely and healthily?

▲Control the amount of food you eat

Soy sauce is a kind of invisible salt, so try to eat less. A white porcelain spoon (10ml) of soy sauce contains about 1.5-2g of salt, and long-term excessive salt intake can easily lead to a series of physical problems, such as: high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, gastric mucosal damage, increased risk of osteoporosis, etc.

▲Pay attention to soy sauce storage

Soy sauce and oyster sauce are both afraid of insects and "white film", especially in the summer and autumn in the south, because the temperature is high and the air is humid, it is easy to breed insects and mold. When storing soy sauce, pay attention to "avoiding light and heat", and it is best to store it in a cool and dry place. After opening, wipe the bottle mouth and bottle body clean in time and cover the bottle cap tightly.

Some types of soy sauce also need to be stored in the refrigerator, so when purchasing soy sauce, you should pay attention to whether the product label is marked with words such as "refrigerated", and then store it according to the requirements on the food label.

What other misunderstandings about soy sauce should we pay attention to?

▲Will your body turn black if you eat too much soy sauce?

Almost no effect. The color of the skin is determined by a substance called "melanin". It is mainly produced by "melanocytes" using the amino acid "tyrosine" through a series of complex reactions. Although "tyrosine" is also found in soy sauce, the content of tyrosine in food is relatively low and has almost no effect on skin color. The dark color of soy sauce is due to the pigment produced during the brewing process, and the pigment in soy sauce will not be directly transferred to the skin.

▲Will eating soy sauce leave scars on wounds?

No. Whether a wound leaves a scar is determined by factors such as wound size, infection, and nutritional status. There is no causal relationship between soy sauce and the color of food. The depth of food color does not affect wound healing.

▲Do children need to eat “children’s soy sauce”?

It is not necessary. You can just choose ordinary soy sauce for your child in daily diet. Many people think that children cannot eat too much salt but can eat soy sauce. Adding soy sauce can indeed increase the flavor of food, but parents ignore the control of sodium intake. Some of the popular low-salt and low-sodium children's soy sauces in supermarkets have a high sodium content.

Children under the age of one do not need to add salt or soy sauce to their diet, as their normal diet already contains enough sodium. From a nutritional point of view, the food that children eat after the age of three is not significantly different from that of ordinary adults.