Soysauce is a popular fermented product of soybean. It is extremely nutritious and contains lesser amount of carbohydrates and proteins. It contains fibre as well. It is also loaded with various micronutrients like calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and several vitamins too

How to make soysauce at home?

It can be easily prepared at home below points will give an overview of the process of preparing soysauce in home –

• At first soybeans should be washed properly
• Then it should be soaked in water for 24 hours
• After that excess water should be drained and the soybean should be subjected for cooking at least for 4 to 5 hours on medium heat
• It can also cooked in a pressure cooker and for that it should be cooked for 20 minutes
• Then the soybean should be mashed into smooth paste by using food processor
• Then wheat flour should be added to that soybean paste and it should be kneed properly. Extra water should not be added
• Then the koji should be sprinkled on the wheat and soy dough as per the instructions that have given on the pack
• Then the soy mixture should be spread evenly in a 3 inch deep glass tray or stainless steel as a 2 inch layer
• After that the tray should be rest in a warm and humid place for about 2 days

• Then 3 ½ cups of salt should be added with water (16 cups) and it should be mixed properly until the salt completely dissolved in water
• Afterwards dried soy blocks are added to a large jar and the brine should be poured over it
• There should be enough space available on the top so that it can be stirred regularly at least for the first week and after that at least once in every week for the next 6 to 12 months
• Then it should be stored in a warm and humid place where it can be well kept without disturbed
• After that it should be stained and the solids should be pressed with a spatula until all the liquid is extracted
• Then the liquid should be heated on a medium high heat at a temperature of about 79 degree centigrade for at least 20 minutes
• Finally when the sauce cools down then it should be kept in a tightly covered bottle and should be stored in refrigerator

This is how soysauce is prepared at home

Types

Soysauce can be available in various forms, which include –

Light soysauce

• It is a very popular type of soysauce and it is also known as usukuchi
• It is extensively used in Chinese recipes
• It helps to enhance the flavour of food

• It has mild aroma and thin texture
• It is light reddish brown in colour
• It is relatively saltier than other soysauce

Dark soysauce

• This is another type of soysauce, also known as ‘koikuchi shoyu’
• It is reddish brown in colour
• It has a strong aroma
• It has a thick texture
• It helps to give a sweet or less salty taste to the food

Shiro

• It is composed of 80% of wheat and 20% of soybean
• It is light golden in colour
• It has a sweet wheat flavour

Thick soysauce

• It is also known as tamari
• It is made up with gluten free soybeans thus it is very useful especially for those who suffer from celiac disease
• It has dark colour
• It is sweet in taste
• It is used as an alternative for oyster sauce

Saishikomi

• It is another imperative type of soysauce
• It is mainly considered as double brewed soysauce produced from equal amounts of soybean as well as wheat

• It is relatively darker in colour
• It has a strong flavour

Biological activity

Antioxidant activity

• It is packed with antioxidants that help to protect the body from oxidative damages
• It plays vital role in reducing the level of free radicals in body as a result helps to protect the body from their harmful effects
• It helps to prevent the oxidation of LDL too, that also provides a positive impact on health
• It is also very useful for protecting various important biological components of body from oxidative damages as a result helps in sustaining their functions
• It helps to prevent cellular damages too, which play vital role in improving cellular functions hence promotes overall wellbeing

Anti-carcinogenic activity

• It has the ability of fight against cancer due to its anti-carcinogenic activity
• It is also associated with exhibiting anti-mutagenic and anti-tumorigenic activity  
• It plays vital role in suppressing the growth of tumour cells as well as carcinogenic cells
• It helps to prevent metastasis as well
• It is very effective for decreasing the prevalence of liver cancer

Health benefits and disease preventive role on soysauce

Role on digestive health

• We all know that consumption of fermented food is very beneficial for promoting digestive health and soysauce is not an exception
• The microorganism, which is used in the fermentation process of preparing soysauce have great probiotic properties that ultimately help in improving the overall health and activity of digestive system
• It helps to improve the gut health by promoting the growth of intestinal beneficial microbes
• It is also associated with improving colonic health as this type of fermented products are accountable for producing short chain fatty acids named butyrate, which is well utilised by the colonic cells as a source of energy. It is thus thought that it helps in nourishing the colonic cells and subsequently improves their health and activity
• It also helps to improve digestion by stimulating the production of gastric juice

Role on reducing allergy

• It has great anti-allergic activity, which is responsible for treating various allergies caused by the consumption of certain foods
• Shoyu polysaccharides (SPS) is an important component present in soysauce, is considered as the main component responsible for reducing allergy
• It is very effective for improving the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. It has seen that a daily dose of about 600 mg of Shoyu polysaccharides (SPS) of soysauce for 4 weeks significantly improves the symptoms of allergic rhinitis

Role on cholesterol level

• It plays vital role in reducing the level of cholesterol in body
• The soy protein is responsible for exertic hypocholesterolemic effects
• Bioactive peptide present in soysauce is another imperative component that helps in reducing the level of LDL cholesterol in body
• It also helps in decreasing the level of triglyceride and VLDL cholesterol and thus helps to improve lipid profile

Role on cardiovascular health

• It is very useful for improving the health and activity of cardiovascular system
• Its antioxidant activity is related with protecting the heart from free radical induced oxidative damages, which ultimately helps in reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases
• Its cholesterol lowering activity is also very useful for lowering the risk of developing atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease
• It is also very useful for reducing the prevalence of heart attack
• It helps in improving the activity of cardiac muscle too

Role on reducing hypertension

• It exerts potent hypotensive activity thus its consumption is thought to be very effective for reducing elevated blood pressure
• Its potassium content helps in dilating blood vessels, which ultimately helps in promoting blood flow that subsequently reduces blood pressure level

Jayachandran, M. and Xu, B., 2019. An insight into the health benefits of fermented soy products. Food chemistry, 271, pp.362-371.

Jooyandeh, H., 2011. Soy products as healthy and functional foods. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, 7(1), pp.71-80.

Long, L.H., Kwee, D.C.T. and Halliwell, B., 2000. The antioxidant activities of seasonings used in Asian cooking. Powerful antioxidant activity of dark soy sauce revealed using the ABTS assay. Free radical research, 32(2), pp.181-186.

Park, K.Y. and Park, E.S., 2018. Health Benefits of Doenjang (Soybean Paste) and Kanjang (Soybean Sauce). Korean Functional Foods: Composition, Processing and Health Benefits, p.101.

Sassi, S., Wan‐Mohtar, W.A.A.Q.I., Jamaludin, N.S. and Ilham, Z., 2021. Recent progress and advances in soy sauce production technologies: A review. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 45(10), p.e15799.