Is Soy Sauce the key to reducing salt?

Soy sauce could hold the key to reducing salt in your diet. Adding soy sauce to food could enable food manufacturers to halve the salt content in some cases, according to a new study.

Researchers experimented by replacing the salt in salad dressing, tomato soup and stir fried pork with Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce and found they were able to reduce the salt content by 50%, 17% and 29% respectively without affecting the taste or enjoyment of the foods.

“These results suggest that it is possible to replace NaCl (sodium/salt) in foods with naturally brewed soy sauce without lowering the overall taste intensity and to reduce the total sodium content in these foods without decreasing their consumer acceptance,” concluded researchers.

The news comes hot on the heels on findings from the Royal Society of Chemistry that soy sauce is the secret ingredient to making the perfect gravy. As part of the society’s Year of Food, a programme to demonstrate the role of chemistry in providing healthy and sustainable food, the society said gravy should be made from the meat juices, vegetable water – and a teaspoon of soy sauce which worked to bring out the umami, or meaty taste.

Reducing salt intake is a key concern for both consumers and food manufacturers. Although is vital to our diet, medics warn too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which in turn is linked to a greater risk of heart disease and strokes. The World Health Organisation recommends a daily maximum salt consumption of 5g, but the western world’s average is estimated at 10g-12g.

The researchers, who published their findings in the Journal of Food Science, believe soy sauce works by making food taste saltier than it really is. They found the five basic tastes – umami, salty, sour, bitter and sweet - interact with each other and that umami, a key component of naturally brewed soy sauce, increases perceived saltiness in foods.

Ben Briody, UK Sales and Marketing Manager of Kikkoman, which part-funded the study, said:

“Coupled with the good news that soy sauce is the answer to the perfect gravy, the implications of these findings for the food industry are huge. Health concerns over salt consumption have caused an increased demand for salt-reduced foods in recent years. But manufacturers have a huge challenge in trying to reduce the salt content yet still make their foods taste good. Perhaps the key lies in replacing salt with naturally brewed soy sauce.”

Briody says consumers can also experiment themselves at home. “We know people are concerned about their salt intake, and three years ago we launched an award-winning version of Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce which has 43% less salt than the original.
“But this new research shows the savoury taste of Kikkoman suggests there's no need to add salt to everyday foods such as soups, sauces and gravies, pasta and rice dishes and even boiled vegetables if you substitute measured amounts of soy sauce to season instead.”

Don’t forget the (perfect) gravy!

Scientists from the Royal Society of Chemistry have come up with the scientific formula for making perfect gravy.

Their experiments have proved the best gravy should be made from the meat juices, vegetable water – and a dash of soy sauce to bring out the umami, or meaty taste.

So don’t forget to bring out the Kikkoman for the Sunday roast!