“If it’s bottled in glass, and has a salt content of 16% or more, it will last longer than soy sauce bottled in plastic,” she says. Ikeda tells me that soy sauce in glass bottles typically is more resistant to oxidation than soy sauce bottled in plastic. Light, oxygen, temperature, and time are the usual culprits in diminishing freshness of a product, but soy sauce longevity can even be affected by the type of bottle it’s stored in. Brigman warns that “if a mold should develop, or the soy sauce has an off or foul odor, or has changed in texture, it must be discarded.” As it oxidizes, you may notice that it turns darker, and the aroma and flavor becomes stronger, while subtler flavors disappear-this is normal, and safe to consume. “Soy sauce will change in color and flavor over time, but is not necessarily dangerous to consume,” Brigman tells me. In addition to that, while not actually a danger, soy sauce will begin to oxidize as soon as you open it. So, what are the dangers of not refrigerating your soy sauce? Both Brigman and Lin say that while the salt content of soy sauce is indeed very high, there is still a slight possibility for mold and bacteria to grow in a bottle of soy sauce. In old China no one had refrigeration so everyone kept their soy sauce at room temperature,” she tells me. “Most are using bottles (and not jugs) which they use up within six to 12 months. I also spoke with Lillian Lin, co-owner of Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry, who suggests that soy sauce made without preservatives should be refrigerated after opening to preserve freshness.Īward-winning cookbook author Grace Young tells me that she actually does refrigerate her soy sauce, but says that most Chinese home cooks leave it out at room temperature. Many soy sauce producers use sodium benzoate as a preservative. I spoke with Tracey Brigman, EdD, associate director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and she confirmed that, despite what the labels may say, lots of commercially produced soy sauces don’t have to be refrigerated, at least not for safety reasons. It is important to note that some brewers sell “raw” soy sauce or shoyu (called 生醤油, romanized as “nama shoyu”), which is unpasteurized and should be refrigerated after opening to preserve freshness. They take the soy sauce through two stages of fermentation, and an aging process-the secondary fermentation and aging process are where the most flavor develops-before straining, pasteurizing, and bottling. Brewers cook soybeans in water, then blend the soybeans with roasted grain before adding the koji culture, and then a salt brine.
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