Chai rice oil salt sauce vinegar tea, how can there be less soy sauce in the kitchen of the Chinese?
We all know that soy sauce is divided into "light soy sauce" and "old soy sauce", but have you ever wondered why the price difference between different products is so much different? What's the secret behind this?
Combined with the relevant content in the "National Food Safety Standard: Soy Sauce (GB 2717-2018)" jointly issued by the National Health Commission and the State Administration of Market Regulation at the end of last year (2019.12.21), let's talk to you about it - as an ordinary consumer, how should soy sauce be chosen?
▲ National Standard for Food Safety: Soy Sauce (GB 2717-2018)
There are 2 main categories of soy sauce on the market, brewed soy sauce and configured soy sauce. Given the high level of readers of the headlines, they basically do not eat the configuration soy sauce (lower quality), so the objects described below are brewed soy sauce.
When we get a bottle of soy sauce, all the information we have access to is through the outer packaging. Soy sauce generally has the following indicators:
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > raw material (ingredient list</h1>).
Whether the food is good or not, first look at the ingredient list.
There is a clear definition of soy sauce in the national standard: "Liquid condiments with special color, aroma and taste made by microbial fermentation with soybeans and/or defatted soybeans, wheat and/or wheat flour and/or wheat bran as the main raw materials." "It can be seen that the basic raw materials of soy sauce are soybeans/defatted soybeans, wheat/wheat flour/wheat bran. But when we buy in the supermarket, look at the ingredient list, in addition to soybeans and wheat, there are many chemical names that I don't understand, and I have sorted them out for everyone:
Sodium glutamate: the main component of monosodium glutamate
Disodium 5'-inosinate: a freshener
Disodium 5'-guanylate: a freshener
5'-Flavored disodium nucleotide: a freshener
*The above 4 kinds of fresheners are often used in pairs to exert synergistic effects and greatly increase the umami taste
Sucralose: Sweetener, 600 times sweeter than sucrose
Tripotassium glycyrrhizinate: sweetener, 150 times sweeter than sucrose
Monokalglycinate: sweetener, 500 times sweeter than sucrose
Yeast extract: Freshens while soothing salty and sour tastes and masking odors
Flavoring: Enhances product taste
Caramel color: colorant
Potassium sorbate: preservative
▲ A common additive in soy sauce
Many friends will panic when they see additives, in fact, don't worry, all additives are reasonably added within the scope allowed by national standards, and will not cause harm to our health.
As for raw materials to choose whole soybeans or defatted soybeans, but also depends on personal preferences and attitudes, whole soybean oil content is high, the flavor is more mellow, but also a more traditional brewing method, is a "tribute to tradition"; with defatted soybeans is currently more mainstream, because after soybean defatting, it shows relatively low-fat high-protein properties, the efficiency of fermentation during the brewing process is higher, so the cost per unit of product will be reduced.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > quality standard & quality grade</h1>
The content of this item of the quality standard is "amino acid nitrogen", this indicator is an important basis for judging the quality and deliciousness of soy sauce, the national standard requirements must be ≥ 0.4g/100mL, usually according to the value we determine the quality level of soy sauce, so combine these 2 items to see.
Amino acid nitrogen
< 0.4g/100mL is not qualified
≥ 0.4g/100mL three-stage
≥ 0.55g/100mL secondary
≥ 0.7g/100mL level
≥ 0.8g/100mL Premium
▲ Quality standards and quality grades of soy sauce
Compared with the high price of special soy sauce on the market (retail price >20 yuan / bottle), you will find that the same is the special grade, why some brands of special soy sauce is not only low in price, and the content of amino acid nitrogen is basically > 1g/100mL, such as in the following figure, the left is the special soy sauce (amino acid nitrogen ≥ 1.2g/100mL) priced at 10 yuan, and the right is the special grade soy sauce (amino acid nitrogen≥ 0.9g/100mL) priced at 20 yuan, why is this?
▲ It is also a special grade soy sauce, with different ingredients and different prices
If you compare the ingredient list, the soy sauce raw material on the left has added a freshener (sodium glutamate, 5'-guanylate disodium, 5'-inosinate disodium), which can increase the content of amino acid nitrogen in soy sauce. Such a practice can not only make the soy sauce fresher and satisfy consumers, but also meet the requirements of the national standard or even exceed the national standard, and also save the cost of the enterprise, which is simply three birds with one stone! Adding a freshener is equivalent to adding buff to the soy sauce!
What do you think when you know this "secret"? Do you think soy sauce should not add so many fresheners? Or do you think that eating more delicious soy sauce at a more economical price is completely acceptable?
In fact, the choice of soy sauce is also a personal attitude to life, do not like the freshener, then buy expensive, acceptable, then buy cheap.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > product standard number</h1>
There are two knowledge points in this column, one is the national standard (such as GB/T 18186) on which it is based, and the other is "high salt dilute state" or "low salt solid state".
▲ High salt dilute and low salt solid
The long fermentation time of high-salt dilute state can make the raw materials fully fermented, synthesize more flavor substances, and the brewed soy sauce is more mellow and richer in nutrients; while the low-salt solid fermentation production cycle is shorter, which can accelerate the production of soy sauce, improve production, and the taste is relatively poor.
So I personally recommend that you choose high-salt dilute soy sauce, but its salt content is also relatively high, generally about 18g/100mL, for patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease and other chronic diseases should control the intake of soy sauce, you can choose low-salt soy sauce (as shown in the figure below).
▲ Sodium content comparison of ordinary soy sauce and low salt soy sauce (per 15mL)
How to choose soy sauce?
Please find the following 3 keywords on the outer packaging -
"Brewed soy sauce" + "Premium" + "High Salt Dilute"
*Pursue higher quality raw materials without adding additives such as flavor enhancers
*Friends with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases should choose the low-salt type