Fermented Soy Sauce
Fermented soy sauce is the liquid seasoning obtained by fermenting soybeans, usually with a cereal, under the action of a mould culture followed by a long salt tolerant fermentation in brine. It is distinguished from chemically produced soy sauce, which is made by acid hydrolysis of defatted soybean protein and reaches a similar amino acid content in a fraction of the time without developing the same aroma.
The process is a two stage microbial one. In the first stage the mould Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae is grown on steamed soybean and roasted wheat to make koji, and the proteases, amylases and peptidases it secretes are the enzymes that will later break the substrate down. In the second stage the koji is mixed with brine to form the mash, or moromi, in which the salt tolerant bacterium Tetragenococcus halophilus produces lactic acid and the osmotolerant yeasts Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Candida species produce ethanol and the phenolic and furanone compounds that give the sauce its aroma. Enzymatic hydrolysis proceeds throughout, converting protein to peptides and free amino acids and starch to sugars.
The finished liquid is dark reddish brown, clear, and salty, with a glutamate driven savoury character from the free amino acids, sweetness from the sugars, mild acidity from lactic acid and a complex aroma from the yeast stage. It carries in the region of sixteen to eighteen percent salt, which is what makes it self preserving, and its quality is graded chiefly on amino acid nitrogen, the measure of how far the protein has been broken down.
We source bulk Fermented Soy Sauce from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Hebei. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Probiotic
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear dark reddish brown liquid, free from sediment |
| Odour and Taste | Characteristic brewed soy aroma, salty savoury taste |
| Amino Acid Nitrogen | Not less than 0.80 g per 100 mL |
| Total Nitrogen | Not less than 1.40 g per 100 mL |
| Sodium Chloride | 15.0 to 18.0 g per 100 mL |
| Total Soluble Solids | Not less than 30.0 g per 100 mL |
| pH | 4.5 to 5.2 |
| Ethanol | Not more than 2.5 percent by volume |
| 3 Monochloropropane 1,2 diol | Not more than 0.02 mg/kg |
| Aflatoxin B1 | Not more than 5 microgram/kg |
| Lead | Not more than 0.5 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 0.5 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 30000 cfu/mL |
| Coliforms | Not more than 30 MPN per 100 mL |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 mL |
Common Markets Grades
The primary trading distinction is amino acid nitrogen content, expressed in grams per hundred millilitres, which rises with the length and completeness of the fermentation and is the basis of the grade names used across the industry. Above that sits the division between naturally brewed sauce, blended sauce in which brewed sauce is extended with acid hydrolysed vegetable protein, and purely chemical sauce, and the three are not interchangeable either in flavour or in the contaminants they may carry.
Regional styles form the second axis. Japanese koikuchi is made with roughly equal soybean and wheat and is the general purpose dark type, usukuchi is lighter in colour and saltier, tamari uses little or no wheat and is thicker and darker, and shiro is wheat dominant and pale. Chinese light soy sauce is drawn from the first pressing and used for seasoning, while dark soy sauce is aged longer, often with added caramel and sugar, and is used for colour. Beyond style, buyers specify wheat free sauce for gluten free labelling, reduced salt versions produced by membrane desalting, preservative free versions relying on filtration and aseptic filling, and powdered sauce produced by spray drying onto a carrier.
Applications
- Table and cooking seasoning, where it supplies salt, savoury character and colour in one addition
- Marinades for meat and poultry, where the salt and enzymes assist penetration and the sugars contribute to browning
- Braising and stewing liquids, where dark styles supply the deep colour that the dish is judged on
- Stir fry and noodle sauces, where it forms the base to which sugar, vinegar and aromatics are added
- Industrial seasoning bases, where it is a source of natural glutamate for savoury flavour systems
- Snack seasonings and coatings, where the spray dried powder carries the flavour into a dry application
- Dressings, dipping sauces and condiment blends, where its acidity and salt help stabilise the product
- Meat and surimi products, where it contributes both flavour and colour to the finished item
- Retorted and shelf stable prepared meals, where the flavour survives the thermal process well
- Plant based meat analogues, where it supplies the savoury depth that the protein base lacks
Brands Using Fermented Soy Sauce
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Fermented Soy Sauce on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Fermented Soy Sauce
Top Fermented Soy Sauce manufacturers in China.
- Baoding New Weikang Food Ingredients Co., Ltd.5 ingredients in the directory
Baoding Way Chein Food Industrial Co., Ltd.2 ingredients in the directory
Baoding Weijia Food Ingredients Co., Ltd.4 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States soy sauce is a conventional food rather than an additive and has no standard of identity, so composition is governed by the general requirement that labelling not be misleading, which is why blended and chemically produced products must be described accurately rather than as brewed. Soybeans and wheat are both among the major food allergens that must be declared, so a wheat containing sauce carries a wheat declaration even though the protein has been extensively hydrolysed. Products made with acid hydrolysed vegetable protein receive particular attention because of the chloropropanol contaminants formed during hydrolysis.
In the European Union soy sauce is placed on the market as a food, with soybeans and gluten containing cereals both requiring allergen declaration. The contaminants regulation sets maximum levels for 3 monochloropropane 1,2 diol and for glycidyl fatty acid esters in acid hydrolysed vegetable protein and in soy sauce made with it, which is the principal compositional control applied to the category, and any added colour or preservative must be authorised for the relevant food category and declared. Codex has adopted regional standards for fermented soybean products in Asia and maintains a code of practice for reducing chloropropanol formation in acid hydrolysed vegetable protein and products containing it, and the Codex general standard for contaminants provides the framework within which national limits are set.
Manufacturing Process
Soybeans, whole or defatted meal, are soaked and steamed under pressure to denature the protein so that it is accessible to enzymes, while wheat is roasted and coarsely cracked, the roasting developing colour and aroma precursors. The two are mixed, cooled, and inoculated with a pure culture of Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae, then spread in trays or in a mechanically turned koji bed at controlled temperature and humidity for two to three days, during which the mould grows through the mass and secretes the enzyme system. Temperature control at this stage is critical, since overheating both kills the culture and favours unwanted organisms.
The mature koji is transferred to fermentation tanks and mixed with brine to give a mash at around eighteen percent salt, which suppresses everything except the salt tolerant flora. The moromi is aerated and stirred periodically and held for several months, traditionally through a full seasonal cycle, with lactic fermentation followed by yeast fermentation and continuous enzymatic hydrolysis. When the fermentation is judged complete the mash is pressed, usually in cloth lined plate presses under increasing pressure, and the residual cake is sold as feed. The raw sauce is allowed to settle so that the oil layer can be skimmed, then pasteurised, which stops enzymatic and microbial activity, develops colour and aroma further, and precipitates protein. The heated sauce is clarified by settling and filtration, standardised for salt and nitrogen, and filled, with either a preservative addition or aseptic filling to protect the opened product against osmotolerant yeasts.
