Soy sauce is a common food ingredient that is used as an additive as a flavoring seasoning when cooking and preparing food.
The history of dark sauce dates back nearly two thousand years in China, and was developed to help preserve food from spoilage and add a rich taste to it, at a time when salt was expensive in Asia.
According to the medical information website WebMD, soy sauce was introduced to Japan in the seventh century, after which it reached Korea and Southeast Asia, until it is now common in almost most parts of the world.
What is soy sauce?
Soy sauce is made by fermenting soybean flour, wheat, salt and a leavening agent.
The traditional fermentation method for soy sauce is:
Soak the soybeans in water for several hours and steam it, then roast the wheat, grind it into flour and mix it with the steamed soybeans.
Then, the fungal spores are added to the mixture and left for 3 days.
The next step is intensive fermentation, where a brine is added to the mixture and left to ferment for 1 month to 4 years.
As for the acid hydrolysis method used in modern manufacturing, it is much faster to prepare soy sauce, and it takes only a few days, and it uses soybeans without oil, wheat gluten and hydrochloric acid, and then the mixture is heated for 20 to 35 hours to break down the proteins to be ready.
Of course, the longer the fermentation time, the stronger the flavor and the higher the price of the sauce.
soy sauce dangers
Health concerns are often raised about soy sauce due to its high salt content, carcinogenic compounds, and potential for allergic reactions due to ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, amines and gluten.
Soy sauce is high in sodium (Shutterstock)
High in sodium
Soy sauce is high in sodium, known as table salt, which is an essential nutrient that the body needs to function properly, but in appropriate doses.
However, high sodium intake is associated with increased blood pressure, especially in those with salt sensitivity, and may contribute to the risk of heart disease and other diseases such as stomach cancer.
Most food organizations recommend eating between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium per day, in order to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
According to the Healthline website for health and medical information, a tablespoon of soy sauce contains more than 900 mg of sodium, more than a third of the recommended daily limit for healthy adults (2300 mg), with a percentage of more than 38%.
Despite its high sodium content, soy sauce can still be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet, especially if you reduce processed foods and consume mostly fresh, whole foods with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
And if you're cutting back on the salt in your diet today, you can try low-salt soy sauces, or simply use less in food.
High amounts of monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that is naturally present in some foods and is often used as a food additive.
Monosodium glutamate is a type of glutamic acid, an amino acid that contributes greatly to the umami flavor of foods, which are sweet and sour like tomato sauce.
Umami is one of the five basic flavors of food, and is often found in so-called "salty" or "spicy" foods.
Glutamic acid is naturally produced in soy sauce during fermentation, and is believed to be a significant contributor to its attractive flavour.
Additionally, MSG is often added to chemically produced soy sauce to enhance its flavor.
However, excessive consumption of this compound may result in a number of poorly understood health symptoms, such as headaches, numbness, weakness and heart palpitations.
May contain carcinogenic substances
A group of toxic substances called chloropropanol can be produced during food processing, including during the preparation and production of soy sauce.
One such substance, known as MCPD-3, is found in acid hydrolyzed vegetable protein, a type of protein found in chemically produced soy sauce.
Scientific studies have found that this substance is toxic when consumed, and leads to kidney damage, reduced fertility and increased risk of tumors.
Therefore, it is recommended to choose naturally fermented soy sauce, which contains little or no levels of this toxin.
Some benefits
Don't worry, the news isn't all bad.
Some scientific research has shown that soy sauce, due to its fermentation, may help support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system, which may improve stomach health and the immune system.
According to some studies, soy sauce may help support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system (Shutterstock)
It is also interesting that consumption of soy sauce is also associated with reduced symptoms of seasonal allergies, as well as its richness in powerful antioxidants that may contribute to reducing the chances of disease.
So if you enjoy soy sauce and don't have wheat or soy allergies or intolerances, stick to naturally fermented varieties, such as organic soy sauce.
But keep in mind that light or low-sodium sauces can still be very high in salt, and for the most part, there's still about 600 mg of sodium in each tablespoon of the sauce.