Food (7) Things you don't know about soy sauce
As the saying goes, "seven things to open the door, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea", soy sauce is an important condiment in our daily life, almost everyone has it at home, and some have more than one bottle. If you go to the supermarket, the soy sauce on the shelves is even more dazzling, with a wide variety of varieties and prices, and you will often be dazzled when you choose. So what is the difference between different types of soy sauce? In this issue, let's talk about the things you don't know about soy sauce.
1. Definition of soy sauce
The National Standard of the People's Republic of China "National Food Safety Standard for Soy Sauce" (GB2717-2018) defines soy sauce as a liquid condiment with special color, aroma and taste made by microbial fermentation of soybeans and/or defatted soybeans, wheat and/or wheat flour and/or wheat bran as the main raw materials.
The National Standard of the People's Republic of China "Brewed Soy Sauce" (GB/T18186-2000) defines brewed soy sauce as a liquid condiment with special color, aroma and taste made from soybean and/or defatted soybean, wheat and/or bran as raw materials and fermented by microorganisms.
On June 29, 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Announcement on Strengthening the Supervision and Administration of the Quality and Safety of Soy Sauce and Vinegar", which proposes that condiments that do not meet the national food safety standards for soy sauce and vinegar shall not be marked with the name or category of "soy sauce" and "vinegar"; In other words, when we buy, we only need to pay attention to the trade name "soy sauce", and we can buy soy sauce that meets the national food safety standards.
2. Classification of soy sauce
1. According to the fermentation process, the national standard of the People's Republic of China "Brewed Soy Sauce" (GB/T18186-2000) stipulates that brewed soy sauce is divided into two categories according to the fermentation process, high-salt dilute fermented soy sauce (including solid and dilute fermented soy sauce) and low-salt solid fermented soy sauce.
2. According to the quality grade, the national standard of the People's Republic of China "Brewed Soy Sauce" (GB/T18186-2000) divides soy sauce into four quality grades: special grade, first grade, second grade, and third grade. The classification of quality grades is judged by three physical and chemical indexes: soluble salt-free solids, total nitrogen, and amino acid nitrogen, rather than only amino acid nitrogen.
3. According to the use, soy sauce is different from light soy sauce and dark soy sauce according to its use. Light soy sauce and dark soy sauce are derived from the customary names of Guangdong, and are not the grades stipulated in the national standards, just as "soy sauce" is the "official name", while "light soy sauce" and "dark soy sauce" are "milk names". "Soy sauce" means extraction, and both light soy sauce and dark soy sauce are brewed soy sauces. The difference between them is that light soy sauce is made of soybeans and flour as the main raw materials, artificially connected to the koji, dried in natural dew, and fermented, while dark soy sauce is made on the basis of light soy sauce, the pressed soy sauce is dried for 2~3 months, caramel color is added, and the dark soy sauce made by special technology is richer than light soy sauce and is suitable for adding color to meat. According to the quality and use function of the product, the light soy sauce is subdivided: light soy sauce king, special soy sauce (meaning special light soy sauce), life (meaning first-class light soy sauce), and second life (meaning second-class light soy sauce). At the same time, the soy sauce is divided into: the king of soy sauce, the extra old, the first old, and the second old. In addition, there are a variety of varieties such as organic soy sauce, seafood soy sauce, braised soy sauce, cold soy sauce, special fresh soy sauce, steamed fish soy sauce, etc., which are the corresponding products provided by soy sauce companies for different consumer needs, and they are all soy sauce products
3. Food additives in soy sauce
The main ingredients of soy sauce are: water, soybeans and/or defatted soybeans, wheat and/or bran, salt. They typically occupy the first four positions on the ingredient list. After that, the ingredients that may also be added are:
The first category: white sugar, fructose syrup, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and other sweeteners. A small amount of sweetening substances in soy sauce will make the salty taste soft and delicious.
The second category: sodium glutamate, disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide, disodium 5'-inosinate, disodium 5'-guanylate and other flavor enhancers. The National Standard of the People's Republic of China "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB2760-2014) stipulates that these flavor enhancers can be used in appropriate amounts according to production needs in various types of food. In fact, flavor enhancers are not scary, the key is not to overdo them.
The fourth category: preservatives such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are mainly used to prevent the deterioration of soy sauce caused by excessive mold. In fact, preservatives are not terrible, the key is that the product must meet the requirements of national standards.
The fifth category: caramel color, which belongs to the coloring agent. Caramel color has a strong "coloring" ability. Caramel color is a legal food additive and is a substance allowed to be added to soy sauce in the national standard.
Fourth, how to choose soy sauce
Consumers can choose products through the following aspects when purchasing soy sauce.
(1) Look at the brand, to choose a regular manufacturer
The brand represents the credibility and life of the enterprise, and the regular manufacturer has a better ability to guarantee the quality and safety of the product, so it is recommended that consumers choose the soy sauce products of the regular manufacturer's brand.
(2) Look at the quality level, the higher the level, the more delicious the taste
In the selection of soy sauce, the state has already helped us do our homework in advance, and we only need to "copy homework". The National Standard of the People's Republic of China "Brewed Soy Sauce" (GB/T18186-2000) stipulates that soy sauce is divided into four grades: special grade, first grade, second grade, third grade, and four grades. When buying soy sauce, we first need to look at the product label of soy sauce and find the quality grade, the higher the grade, the more delicious the taste, and we can buy it according to our needs.
(3) Look at the nutritional content list, there is a need for salt control, and low-sodium products can be selected.
Soy sauce also contains salt. Consumers who need to control salt can try to choose the one with lower sodium content in the same level of soy sauce.
The quality grade is the premium grade, and the nutritional facts list of soy sauce with lower sodium content
The quality grade is extra grade, and the sodium content is normal, and the soy sauce nutrition facts list:
(4) Looking at the ingredient list, you can choose products with fewer additives in the ingredients
It is safe to add food additives within the scope of national standards, but it is more advocating "clean label" products.
As the saying goes: in the past and present life, the return is still soy sauce, raw soy sauce and old soy sauce, all changes are inseparable from their origins - how to buy soy sauce, have you learned?
Contributed by Chen Shujun
Editor: Qin Jiayao
Proofreader: Liu Xiaoyu
Review: Diao Haiqian