Soy sauce is an indispensable condiment in the kitchen, whether it is stir-fried or steamed, it is indispensable for delicious soy sauce. But do you really know soy sauce? There are many types of soy sauce on the market now, which soy sauce is "fake soy sauce"? How can you pick out high-quality soy sauce? How to eat soy sauce to be healthy?
The ingredient list with these 4 words is "fake soy sauce"
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", proposing that soy sauce and vinegar production enterprises shall no longer produce and sell products labeled as "prepared soy sauce" and "prepared vinegar". The announcement shall be implemented from the date of promulgation. In other words, if the soy sauce you buy has the words "prepared soy sauce", it is not "soy sauce" in the strict sense!
If the soy sauce stored or used at home is "prepared soy sauce", it is recommended not to continue to eat it. Don't buy and eat "fake soy sauce" that doesn't meet the relevant standards because of greed for cheapness and fear of waste, and it's best to choose brewed soy sauce when buying soy sauce.
How to pick a good soy sauce?
1. Look at the soy sauce ingredient list
Soy sauce with a high content of "amino acid nitrogen" is good
Amino acid nitrogen refers to the amount of nitrogen in the form of amino acids. The higher the index, the higher the amino acid content in the soy sauce and the better the umami.
According to the "Hygiene Standard for Soy Sauce" GB2717-2018, which was officially implemented on December 21, 2019, the minimum content of amino acid nitrogen in soy sauce shall not be less than 0.4 g/100 ml, and the maximum content of premium soy sauce can reach 0.8 g/100 ml, and some soy sauces can even reach 1.2 g/100 ml.
2. Shake the soy sauce bottle
Soy sauce with small and uniform foam that does not easily disperse is good
When the high-quality soy sauce is shaken, there will be a lot of relatively small, relatively uniform foam, and it is not easy to disperse, the appearance of this foam is actually related to the amino acid nitrogen, when the amino acid nitrogen is more, the foam in the soy sauce will show this state.
What are the uses of common additives in soy sauce?
1. Freshness extractant:
Monosodium glutamate, disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide, disodium 5'-inosinate
Uses: Freshness enhancer is an artificial flavor enhancer to make soy sauce fresher, and it can also quickly improve the amino acid nitrogen index of soy sauce.
Application: Cooking has high requirements for freshness, and soup, steaming, and cold dressing can greatly enhance the flavor.
Note: Soy sauce is usually used to enhance freshness and seasoning, and the freshness of soy sauce can be judged by the content of amino acid nitrogen, but it is not necessary to be too fresh, so as not to consume excessive freshness enhancers.
2. Preservatives:
Sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate
Uses: In order to prevent the deterioration of soy sauce, soy sauce can be added with preservatives such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in accordance with GB2760.
Note: If soy sauce is within the usual consumption range, the general population does not need to worry about the health hazards of additives.
How to eat soy sauce healthier?
1. Add soy sauce after cooking
During the cooking process, remember to add soy sauce afterward. Boiling at high temperatures for a long time will destroy the nutrients of soy sauce and lose its umami flavor. Therefore, soy sauce should be placed just before it comes out of the pan.
Especially when stewing meat, soy sauce should not be put early, because soy sauce can accelerate the coagulation of protein in the meat, so that the meat is not easy to cook, and it is best to put soy sauce when the meat is medium-cooked.
2. Control soy sauce intake
The nutritional content list of many soy sauces is 15ml as a portion, whether it is light soy sauce or dark soy sauce, the sodium content of each 15ml is more than 1000mg, generally speaking, there is about 1g of salt in a spoonful of soy sauce, and a tablespoon (10mL) of soy sauce contains 1.5g ~ 2g of salt, and the World Health Organization recommends that the salt be controlled within 5g per day. It is recommended to add soy sauce with a spoon, if you directly take the bottle and add it to the pot, you may add too much with a shake of your hand.
3. These groups of people need to be cautious when eating soy sauce
People with high blood pressure, kidney disease, pregnancy edema, heart failure and other diseases should reduce the amount of salt added to soy sauce to avoid excessive sodium intake.
Fourth, it is best not to eat soy sauce in this case
In summer, when the temperature is high, after the soy sauce is left for a period of time, a white film tends to appear on the upper part of the liquid. This is a bacterial film formed by yeast and mold using the nutrients in soy sauce to multiply, which not only destroys the inherent nutrition and taste of soy sauce, but also may pose a risk of contamination by pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, the soy sauce with long white film can no longer be eaten.
5. Soy sauce is recommended to be stored like this
In order to eat soy sauce safely, it is recommended to close the lid immediately after opening the bottle and eating soy sauce, and it is recommended to keep it refrigerated in summer.