Adjust Our Diet 10: Replace Chemically-Processed Sauce with Natural Sauce

Soy sauce has become an indispensable part in our daily diet. It is a magical ingredient that enhances the taste of all food. There are two methods for producing soy sauce–the high-technology and the traditional methods. The following explanation (Lim 2003) on sauce preparation is relevant.

The high-tech sauce oil is processed within a day using material such as hydrolysed vegetable protein (-HVP), alcohol, refined sugar, refined salt, colourings and preservatives. In the process, the fat in plant protein is initially removed and then mixed with other chemicals to make sauce. Such processing is low in cost but high in profit. The problem of such processing is that it would produce a carcinogen known as 3-MCPD, a group of chemical pollutant (Chloroproparols). In some countries, food should not contain more than 0.5 mg/kg of 3-MCPD for safe consumption. However, some manufacturers produce soy sauce exceeding this 3-MCPD level. In 2002, the British government banned the sale of 22 types of soy sauce as their 3-MCPD exceeded the permitted levels. These sauces were produced in countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam.

On the other hand, the traditional method takes more than a year to produce the sauce naturally. The winter wheat is dried and crushed before mixing with soya bean (a source of complete protein) and added with fermented bacteria. It is left in a wet place to ferment for about one to two days. Sea salt and clean water is then added and placed in a wooden container for further fermentation from 8 to 10 months. During this period, proteins and carbohydrates are changed to glucose, enzymes and fatty acid. When the fermentation matures fully, the sauce is filtered to remove the top layer of fat. The sauce is then placed in bottles for sale to consumers.