Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    SHENZHEN residents don’t need to take the time and trouble to cross the border to Hong Kong to buy soy sauce, as the brands sold in the Shenzhen market equally matched those in Hong Kong both in quality and taste, a test report released yesterday by the Shenzhen Consumer Council showed.

    The test on 25 types of soy sauce from 16 brands, 15 from Shenzhen and 10 from Hong Kong, showed that all meet national and Hong Kong standards. The consumer council rated 16 types of soy sauce as five-star standard, accounting for 55 percent of the total.

    The comparison test showed the average salt content in soy sauce sold in Hong Kong, at 16.90 grams per 100 ml, is higher than Shenzhen’s, at 15.70 grams per 100 ml.

    The consumer council recommended that light dieters use reduced-salt light soy sauce produced by Lee Kum Kee and Amoy as their salt content stands at the lowest, at 10.7 grams and 10.99 grams, respectively, per 100 ml.

    The quality and taste of soy sauce depends on the level of amino acid nitrogen. Among the five-star soy sauce brands that don’t contain additives, such as sodium glutamate, Haday Top produced by Haitian Flavoring and Food Co. Ltd., Qianhe Top produced by Qianhe Flavoring and Food Co. Ltd. and Shinho produced by Yantian Shinho Flavoring and Food Co. Ltd. contain highest level of the amino acid nitrogen.

    Among the products with sodium glutamate, soy sauce produced by Luhua Group contains the highest sodium glutamate, while Lee Kum Kee reduced salt light soy sauce contains the least.

    Sodium glutamate can determine the level of amino acid nitrogen.

    The average price of soy sauce with food additives is 14.6 yuan (US$2.12), around 8 yuan lower than that without food additives.

    A survey showed that among those residents who went to Hong Kong to buy soy sauce, 91 percent thought that the quality of Hong Kong soy sauce was better and 10 percent thought the taste was better. However, the test results showed that amino acid nitrogen content in Shenzhen is higher than those brands in Hong Kong, and the salt content in the Hong Kong brands is higher than the 15 brands in Shenzhen.