Are u eating GM food???

There was actually a discussion on GM food in The Straits Times web and the topic is

'Do you know how much of your food is genetically modified?'

Do we know??? I guess NO !! L since AVA’s current food regulations do not require GM food to be specially labelled , like all other food products, must meet existing food labelling requirements with regard to ingredient listing and information to facilitate tracing and recall so we are not aware on whether the food we bought has been genetically modified actually. GM food product manufacturers will not state whether the food has been genetically modified, but only to differentiate it with unknown coding or other hidden message on the label. Just like this:

So... do you think it a good thing or bad thing to state on the label clearly so that consumers are being informed of it?
Thinking back, if we are aware that the food is genetically modified, it will more or less affect our buying decisions because people will perhaps become more self-conscious and may not want to buy it. If it was the case, that means GM food will not be able to solve the problem of global malnutrition and fulfill the population. World hungry should be an issue that the world should concern of with increasing population so i guess GM food is afterall a great creation with good initiate objective.

-Yueming 

Cancer-causing chemicals found in soy sauce

Cancer-causing chemicals have been found in nearly one in four samples of soy sauce and other Chinese flavourings tested by food watchdogs.

In some, the levels massively exceeded international safety limits while others contained traces of a banned toxic substance.Officials issued a 'hazard alert' and demanded that supermarket shelves be cleared of the products and that consumers and caterers throw out the offending brands.The list also includes varieties of oyster sauce, mushroom sauce and a chicken marinade. All are likely to be used in Chinese or Thai restaurants.Virtually all the brands involved were imported from Thailand, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and sold through specialist Chinese supermarkets. None of those sold by major retailers contained the chemicals.

The Food Standards Agency, which carried out the tests, believes the most likely buyers will be Chinese and Thai restaurants and families from Eastern and South East Asian backgrounds.It stressed that occasional users were unlikely to be harmed but there was concern for people consuming high levels of the products.The samples involved in the survey of 100 products were collected more than five months ago.Explaining the delay in publishing the findings, the FSA said it had to run a detailed analysis, contact importers and trace the history of consignments. The chemical 3-MCPD is considered so dangerous that the EU will not allow any more than the tiniest amount in food - just 0.02 mg per kg.Yet one of the products, sold under the brand name Golden Mountain, contained close to 5,000 times that figure. Just two teaspoons would be equivalent to 20 times the acceptable daily intake recommended for a woman. The survey also revealed traces of an even more harmful chemical, 1,3-DCP, which is banned from all food because it is toxic to genes, as well as carcinogenic. 24 of the 100 samples were positive for 3-MCPD and two thirds of these had traces of 1,3-DCP. The two are thought to create a higher risk of liver cancer. FSA deputy chairman Suzi Leather said: 'Soy sauce can be produced without these chemicals and we expect swift action from the industry to ensure that the planned EU legal limits are met.' The shops the FSA tested were concentrated in Leeds, Manchester, London and Cambridge. However the brands are likely to be available nationwide. The products carried the brand names Golden Mountain, King Imperial, Pearl River Bridge, Jammy Chai, Golden Mark, Kimlan, Lee Kum Kee, Tung Chun, Sinsin and Golden Swan.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-55023/Cancer-causing-chemicals-soy-sauce.html#ixzz1MZnyWgAX

Post by:
Jovin

GM Soy Sauce

Genetically Modified Soy

 

GM: New study shows unborn babies could be harmed

Mortality rate for new-born rats six times higher when mother was fed on a diet of modified soya

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor

The Independent on Sunday, 08 January 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article337253.ece

Women who eat GM foods while pregnant risk endangering their unborn
babies, startling new research suggests.

The study - carried out by a leading scientist at the Russian Academy
of Sciences - found that more than half of the offspring of rats fed
on modified soya died in the first three weeks of life, six times as
many as those born to mothers with normal diets. Six times as many
were also severely underweight.

The research - which is being prepared for publication - is just one
of a clutch of recent studies that are reviving fears that GM food
damages human health. Italian research has found that modified soya
affected the liver and pancreas of mice. Australia had to abandon a
decade-long attempt to develop modified peas when an official study
found they caused lung damage.

And last May this newspaper revealed a secret report by the biotech
giant Monsanto, which showed that rats fed a diet rich in GM corn had
smaller kidneys and higher blood cell counts, suggesting possible
damage to their immune systems, than those that ate a similar conventional one.

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation held a workshop
on the safety of genetically modified foods at its Rome headquarters
late last year. The workshop was addressed by scientists whose
research had raised concerns about health dangers. But the World Trade
Organisation is expected next month to support a bid by the Bush
administration to force European countries to accept GM foods.

The Russian research threatens to have an explosive effect on already
hostile public opinion. Carried out by Dr Irina Ermakova at the
Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the
Russian Academy of Sciences, it is believed to be the first to look at
the effects of GM food on the unborn.

The scientist added flour from a GM soya bean - produced by Monsanto
to be resistant to its pesticide, Roundup - to the food of female
rats, starting two weeks before they conceived, continuing through
pregnancy, birth and nursing. Others were given non-GM soyaand a third
group was given no soya at all.

She found that 36 per cent of the young of the rats fed the modified
soya were severely underweight, compared to 6 per cent of the
offspring of the other groups. More alarmingly, a staggering 55.6 per
cent of those born to mothers on the GM diet perished within three
weeks of birth, compared to 9 per cent of the offspring of those fed
normal soya, and 6.8 per cent of the young of those given no soya at
all.

"The morphology and biochemical structures of rats are very similar to
those of humans, and this makes the results very disturbing" said Dr
Ermakova.
"They point to a risk for mothers and their babies."

Environmentalists say that - while the results are preliminary - they
are potentially so serious that they must be followed up. The American
Academy of Environmental Medicine has asked the US National Institute
of Health to sponsor an immediate, independent follow-up.

The Monsanto soya is widely eaten by Americans. There is little of it,
or any GM crop, in British foods though it is imported to feed animals
farmed for meat.

Tony Coombes, director of corporate affairs for Monsanto UK, said:
"The overwhelming weight of evidence from published, peer-reviewed,
independently conducted scientific studies demonstrates that Roundup
Ready soy can be safely consumed by rats, as well as all other animal
species studied."

What the experiment found

Russian scientists added flour made from a GM soya to the diet of
female rats two weeks before mating them, and continued feeding it to
them during pregnancy, birth and nursing. Others were give non-GM soya or none at all.
Six times as many of the offspring of those fed the modified soya were
severely underweight compared to those born to the rats given normal
diets.
Within three weeks, 55.6 per cent of the young of the mothers given
the modified soya died, against 9 per cent of the offspring of those
fed the conventional soya.

Can GM Soy be Deadly?

An experiment to see whether genetically modified (GM) soy might affect the offspring of rats yielded disturbing results.

Rats were divided into several groups, one of which was given a diet to which 5-7 grams of Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" GM soy flour had been added; the others were fed similar diets containing no GM soy. The diets began two weeks before the rats became pregnant, and continued throughout pregnancy and nursing.

Low Birth Weight

A number of offspring from the GM-fed mothers were born unusually small, and after two weeks, 36 percent of them weighed less than 20 grams, compared to about 6 percent from the other groups.

More Than Half the Rats Died

Within three weeks, more than half of the rats from the GM soy group died, compared to less than 10 percent from the other groups.

Roundup Ready GM soy's DNA contains bacterial genes that allow the soy plant to survive treatment with Monsanto's "Roundup" brand herbicide. Some 85 percent of the soy gown in the United States is Roundup Ready. Soy is present in the majority of processed foods sold in the United States, so most Americans eat Roundup Ready soy in some form every day.

No Safety Tests Required

The FDA does not require any safety tests on genetically modified foods. There have been less than 20 published, peer-reviewed animal feeding safety studies and no human clinical trials.

Taken from: http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/02gmsoy.htm

Posted by: Sandy

Soy Allergies! :O :O

Soy Allergies

There's plenty yet that you didn't know about soy!

It is not widely known that soy is one of the most allergenic foods in modern diets.  It is reported in several research reports to contain at least 30 allergenic proteins. Health Canada is one regulatory authority which takes this risk seriously, recalls poorly labelled foods, and warns that anaphylactic shock associated with allergies can result in death. For example cookies and pork products were involved in two recalls by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for containing undeclared soy in their products.

Further links to Soy Allergies Information

Genetically Engineered Foods May Cause Rising Food Allergies - By Jeffrey M. Smith, Jun 8, 2007. This report from the foodconsumer.org discusses the link between genetic engineering, soy, and food allergies.

Infant Soymilk Consumption, Skin Cream Exposure May be Linked to Peanut Allergy, Says UK Report.

The huge rise in allergic reactions to soy is in line with the increasing use of soy products in processed foods during the 1990s, and should be regarded as a major public health concern.  Read more about the hidden dangers of soy allergens Here

A letter gained under the Official Information Act in New Zealand highlights the incidences of allergic reactions to foods between January 1994 and March 1997.  While soy protein ranked second to cows milk in number of reactions, 25% of severe reaction were related to soy compared to 5% for cows milk.  A copy of the letter is Posted Here.

Further information on Soy Allergies from the United Kingdom Vegan Society.

Studies suggest a link between drinking soy milk as an infant and the development of peanut allergies later in life.  Read More Here and Here

WebMD Health. Living with soy a allergy

http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2128.htm.  Soy Protein Intolerance information from eMedicine.

http://allergies.about.com/library/weekly/aa061499.htm.  Judy Tidwells guide to soy allergies.

Even in imitation "traditional" Spanish cuisine, soy allergies are causing harm.  See two shocking case studies and heed the warning "READ THE LABEL".

Swedish researchers say what we knew years ago...people can die of soy allergies and, because of poor labelling, the reason is often not realised.

The Methodist Health Care Organisation gives good advice about Soy Allergies.  For the Methodist Health Care Organisation, go Here.

THE ALLERGENS DATA COLLECTION

Taken from: http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03allergies.htm 

Posted by: Sandy

The Politics Behind the Soy Industry

Soy Politics

The soy industry's influence over the media, research institutions and government agencies is strong.

The goal of soy research is to boost industry profits and the US economy.

We uncover soy industry politics.

Who Funds Soy Research and Why?

$4 Million in Research Grants to Examine Soy Health Benefits.  The soybean checkoff's Soy Health Research Program solicits research proposals to study soy consumption and its impact on the prevention of osteoporosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer and the health benefits of isoflavones, a component of soy protein. Scientists submit research proposal applications to USB and, if their applications are selected, USB awards a $10,000 grant to scientists to help defray the cost of preparing the proposal submission to the NIH. In 2000, the very first year of the program, it yielded a $1.2 million NIH grant. Since then, an additional $4 million has been secured.

Multiple millions of dollars are spent on soy research each year.  Most State Soybean Boards fund their own research programmes (e.g., Arkansas Soybean Board which spent US$1.1 Million in research in 1998-1999) but the grants offered are insignificant when compared with that of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA Soybean Promotion and Research Program was established by the Soybean Promotion and Research Order and is authorised by the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act [7 U.S.C. 6301-6311]. The Act was passed as part of the 1990 Farm Bill. It authorized the establishment of a national soybean promotion, research, and consumer information program. The program became effective on July 9, 1991, when the Order was published. Assessments began September 1, 1991.

As required by the Act, USDA conducted a referendum among soybean producers on February 9, 1994, to determine whether the program should continue. Of the 85,606 valid ballots cast, 53.8 percent of soybean producers voting favoured the program. As required by the Act, USDA conducted a producer poll on July 26, 1995, to determine whether producers supported conducting a referendum to determine if refunds should continue. Only 48,782 producers participated in the poll--less than the 76,200 required to cause a refund referendum to be conducted. Refunds were discontinued on October 1, 1995.

 

The program’s goal is to strengthen the position of soybeans in the marketplace and to maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for soybeans and soybean products. It is funded by a mandatory assessment of 0.5 of 1 percent of the net market price of soybeans. All producers marketing soybeans must pay the assessment. Assessments under this program total approximately $80 million annually and are used to fund promotional and informational campaigns and to conduct research with the objective of expanding and improving the use of soybeans and soybean products.

 

You can read more about the USDA Soybean Promotion and Research Program at the United Soybean Board Site.

Of course there's nothing wrong with research, but Soy Online Service think that the motivation for research should be the honest search for scientific truth (remember the good old days!!).  The vast majority of current USDA and industry funded soy research is obscenely slanted toward the benefits of soy.   And, what do you know?  Soy cures cancer!  Little surprise soy consumption is up, the soy magnates are laughing all the way to the bank and the US economy also gets a nice little boost.

Well the facts are that if you believe the industry message about how great soy is then you are just another sucker.  Soy Online Service views the soy industry as the worst type of scum on the face of the earth; happy to promote dubious health claims and take your money, while at the same time endangering more than a million soy formula fed babies each year.

Don't upset the Soybean Cart

Soy Online Service first encountered the politics of soy when we addressed the New Zealand Ministry of Health over concerns about the phytoestrogen content of soy formulas for infants.  An internal memo from the Chief Toxicologist to the Minister of Health (and ex Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley) indicated a high level of concern for the health of infants fed soy formulas but stating that:

'if the dose was high enough over a sufficient length of time, such toxicants could cause significant adverse health effects including growth depression, immunosuppression, abnormal responses to hormonal stimulation and cancer'.

However, the memo also noted that the concerns we had raised had potential for 'mischief, especially in the media' and that 'soybeans are big business, especially in the United States and is a traded item on international commodity markets''.  An earlier memo clearly stated the New Zealand government's desire to 'regain control' of the situation. 

This was in 1994 and rather than 'risk damaging an industry' the New Zealand Ministry of Health lied to the public about the risks associated with feeding soy formulas.  Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, and continual questioning in Parliament, the Ministry of Health maintained the lies by continuing to state that there 'was no evidence of harm' and 'no substance to our concerns'.  But in November 1998 came a dramatic about-face.  One can only wonder at the power of multi-national interests when Ministers of the New Zealand government would condone the breaking of consumer protection laws that they in their oaths of office swore to uphold."

Quote from "The Cholesterol Conspiracy" by Dr Russell L. Smith.

Both the public and clinical physicians have simultaneously been swamped by an ever-growing tidal wave of exaggerations, distortions and even fabrications of the facts.  The media blitz has been so successful that nearly everyone is now thoroughly brainwashed.

In fact, it is nothing less than astonishing that this juggernaut has grown larger, richer and more powerful as the mountainous negative findings accumulated.  How can this happen? If you control the money and the media, negative findings are little more than irritants because the public will never hear about them.  It is a version of George Orwell's Newspeak.

The reader should be aware that such a state-of-affairs is by no means unique.  It has occurred in every branch of science for as long as anyone cares to remember.  But it is particularly devastating in medicine where billions of dollars are spent worthlessly and millions of lives are lost prematurely because research funding agencies have disregarded masses of scientific findings and fraudulently used public monies to disseminate dogma and propaganda.

Hitler did it.  He was not the first but he did it quite successfully.  It being the big lie.  He and his cohorts told it often enough, and with official state backing, so that just about everyone involved believed it.  And if you thought it could never happen again - outside of politicians, that is - you were mistaken.  What is even worse, the big lie may well kill millions of people without ever interfering with their rights, their beliefs or their backgrounds.

Taken from: http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/05soypolitics.htm 

Posted by: Sandy

BBC News on the banning of soy sauce

Wednesday, 15 August, 2001, 16:03 GMT 17:03 UK

Malaysia bans cancer-risk soy sauce

Soy, oyster and prawn sauces are popular in oriental cooking

Malaysia's food standards agency has blocked the sale of more than 20 types of soy sauce and other popular cooking sauces because they contain unsafe levels of 3-MCPD, which can cause cancer. The cooking sauces - many of them brands which are widely sold internationally - failed tests set by the British Foods Standards Agency (FSA) as they contained more than 20 parts per billion of 3-MPCD.
The FSA issued a warning to consumers about cancer-risks from soy sauce in June 2001 after testing 100 samples, of which 22 gave cause for concern.
In July, Malaysia's health ministry seized and destroyed 4,339 bottles of sauce worth 9,204 ringit (£1,687, $2,424) from 22 brands.
New sauce recipes
Further testing has now led to bans on 25 sauces -16 locally-made and nine imported - according to the Star newspaper.
Manufacturers will have to revise their recipes before being allowed to sell their products in Malaysia.
"The reviewed formula has to be submitted to the FQCD for confirmation before they are allowed to be sold," the ministry said.
The seized sauces were mostly manufactured in Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of the sauces were soy-based but bottles of oyster sauce and prawn sauce were also removed from markets.

International brands
The ministry has now adopted the British FSA's testing standard, together with a new system of certification, and notified the World Trade Organisation of its criteria.
The report did not specify which had been found to contain dangerous levels of 3-MCPD. Although the brands involved are internationally-recognised names, the bottles involved could be counterfeits.
The Universiti Sains Malaysia is carrying out tests on 508 products on behalf of the FQCD, and has checked nearly 400 so far.


Taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1492704.stm

Posted by: Sandy

How to make soy sauce :D !

How to make soy sauce :D !

Making soy sauce is simply removing the liquid that the soy beans are fermented in. They still end up with miso that they use as a condiment for cooking things like fish and pork - it gives a plumclike sourness taste

Dried organic soy beans are cooked till they are soft and fall apart into a meal when squeezed between your fingers.

The soy beans are mixed with flour - ratio that my uncle uses is 16 oz of soy beans (dry weight) is mixed with 12 oz of flour.

The beans and flour is kneaded together to make a loaf. Although many of industrial producers skip this step.

The loaf is then cut up into disks - and the whole basket is wrapped in layers of towels to promote mold growth.

The mold growth part takes about a week.---------------------------------------------


The Mold has taken Hold!

Here are the soybean cakes being soaked in the brine - these pictures were taken a few days after the soaking process. They have been sunning in the brine for a few weeks now and will continue to be set outside as long as the weather stays sunny. The saltiness for the soy sauce will come later when the fermented disks are soaked in a brine that contains 8 oz of salt. It's funny - the salt water has been prepared for a few weeks now. Large containers sitting out in the sun (under plexiglass). Leaving it out in the sun will cook out the water, sometimes for a whole month. Perhaps a way to remove impurities - when tap water was not so safe - and nowadays, it may be good to let some of the chemicals used to treat water, evaporate off.

The completed soy sauce :D !

Retrieved from: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/103707-making-soy-sauce-at-home/

Post by:
Jovin

Tips for Soy Sauce Manufacturers

Food Safety Tips
Safe manufacture of soy sauce and bottle lid design

The various kinds of soy sauce available in the market are made by fermentation. They taste delicious, and are used in cooking, marinating or for dipping and can enhance the colour, aroma and flavour of foods. In 2006, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) received some 20 complaints about the presence of larvae inside bottled soy sauce. Investigation found that they were mainly the larvae of flies, and there were adult flies in some complaint articles. The smell of fermented food (including soy sauce) is especially attractive to flies. If the soy sauce is not properly covered, flies may find their way into the container and lay eggs (some species may lay larvae) in the soy sauce.

With advanced plant facilities, modernised production technique, scrupulous production process and full attention paid to personal and environmental hygiene, the presence of larvae in the manufacture of soy sauce can be effectively prevented to meet the customer need and to comply with the requirements of the legislation. In 2006, no complaint about larvae found in unopened bottled soy sauce was received by the Centre for Food Safety.

To prevent the breeding of flies in bottled soy sauce, CFS has written to soy sauce manufacturers and importers, advising them to improve the lid design of soy sauce bottles so as to make them more user-friendly, and to remind consumers, by means of product labels, to close the lid tightly and clean the bottle thoroughly after use and to store the product properly. Members of the trade should pay attention to the following advice to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Advice to soy sauce manufacturers

• Improve the technique, production process and plant facilities in the manufacturing of soy sauce with special attention to personal and environmental hygiene.
• Personnel in-charge of the plant should conduct pest survey regularly and take effective measures to prevent the breeding of pests (including flies).
• Improve the lid design of soy sauce bottles to make them more user-friendly.
• Remind consumers in the product labels, to close the lid tightly and clean the bottle thoroughly after use and to store the product properly.

Advice to the catering trade

• Close the lid tightly and clean the soy sauce bottle thoroughly after use.

Store and cover soy sauce properly after opening.

Taken from: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fse_200701.html

Posted by: Sandy

UN concerned for China food safety activists !!

The UN has expressed concern about the prosecution in China of whistle-blowers highlighting food safety scandals.

The UN rapporteur on food rights, Olivier de Schutter, said the state's actions had "a chilling effect" on others worried about violations.
He said the Chinese authorities seemed to underestimate the contribution that free expression and association could make to the right to adequate food.
Mr de Schutter called for more transparency about food safety.
During his eight-day visit to China Mr de Schutter met food experts, civil society groups and government ministers.
He said he raised the case of Zhao Lianhai, whose son was one of about 300,000 children made ill in 2008 by poisoned baby milk.
'Concern'
Mr Zhao organised a parents' support group and campaigned for compensation. He was recently jailed for two-and-a-half years for "inciting social disorder".
Mr de Schutter said: "I think that freedoms of expression, freedoms of association, such as those that Mr Zhao was exercising, are key to protecting social and economic rights such as the right to food."
He said he would "continue dialogue" with the foreign ministry on Mr Zhao's case.
The 2008 scandal - in which milk product were contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine - caused widespread anger.
It led to a worldwide recall of Chinese dairy products and was a major embarrassment for the country's leaders, who vowed to tackle the problem.
Mr de Schutter's report also warned that land grabs by developers in collusion with officials threatens the ability of the country to maintain current levels of agricultural production.
Farming land is also being lost due to urbanisation and natural disasters.
China's made "remarkable" progress towards achieving food self-sufficiency, the report says.
But it warns the shrinking of arable land represents a major threat to its ability to maintain that self-sufficiency.

By Sweety @ Swe Mar Tun

Soy Sauce Challenge!

I think this challenge is ridiculous! And the person who drank the whole pint of soy sauce will only be awarded with $20. One of the viewer gave this interesting comment:
"What did she need twenty dollars for so bad?"
I guess this lady just wanted to challenge herself, perhaps she will never forget about it and could go around telling people that she had actually consumed the whole pint of soy sauce in one shot, cool huh?


BUT HAS SHE EVER THOUGHT OF THE CONSEQUENCES?

If she drank that much of soy sauce in a short period of time, it will cause sodium intoxication, sudden dehydration will happen which will eventually lead to an increase in blood pressure. So it is not COOL to challenge such a thing as our body could take in so much salt in a sudden, it will definitely cause harm to the body!

So do you still want to have high sodium diet??

Long term high sodium intake will lead to muscle cramps,dizziness, electrolyte disturbance which can cause neurological problems, muscle cramps, dizziness, electrolyte disturbance which can cause neurological problems, stroke, cardiovascular disease or even death 

- By Yueming

Smart wrapping developed to detect 'off food' !!

A new generation of smart packaging - which flags up when food is going off - is being developed in Glasgow.

Researchers from Strathclyde University are working on indicators made from "intelligent plastics" which change colour when food loses its freshness.
They hope to have a commercially viable product available soon which will improve food safety and cut waste.
The project is being supported with £325,000 in funding from the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept programme.
UK households are estimated to throw out about 8.3 million tonnes of food each year - most of which could be eaten.
It is also thought that there are about one million cases of food poisoning annually in Britain.
The Strathclyde University team hopes new smart wrapping will alert consumers when food is about to lose its freshness because it has broken or damaged packaging, has exceeded its "best before" date or has been poorly refrigerated.
'Atmosphere packaging'
Freshness indicators currently used across the food industry usually take the form of labels inserted in a package but these come at a significant cost.
Strathclyde researchers are looking to create a new type of indicator which is part of the wrapping itself and subsequently much cheaper.
The indicator it is working on will change colour when the freshness of the food deteriorates past a certain level.
It will be used as part of a form of food packaging known as modified atmosphere packaging, which keeps food in specially-created conditions that prolong its shelf life.
Professor Andrew Mills, who is leading the project, said: "At the moment, we throw out far too much food, which is environmentally and economically damaging.
"Modified atmosphere packaging is being used increasingly to contain the growth of organisms which spoil food but the costs of the labels currently used with it are substantial. We are aiming to eliminate this cost with new plastics for the packaging industry.
"We hope that this will reduce the risk of people eating food which is no longer fit for consumption and help prevent unnecessary waste of food. We also hope it will have a direct and positive impact on the meat and seafood industries."
The Strathclyde team believes its work could resolve potential confusion about the different significances of "best before" dates and "sell-by" dates.
It could also help to highlight the need for food to be stored in refrigerators which are properly sealed.

Posted by: Sweety @ Swe Mar Tun

Food science exam questions :D (based on our product)

Food science exam questions :D (based on our product)
Case Study I—Soy Sauce.
Scenario:

Brewing soy sauce is one of the original biotech industries. Soy sauce was shipped in barrels within Asia over 500 years ago, and in bottles to Europe by the 1600s. Now soy sauce is used all over the world. About 5000 years ago in China, people grew soybean crops for food and animal feed. Because soybeans spoil easily, salt was added as a preservative. Over time the beans fermented much like pickles or sauerkraut. Unlike pickles, however the soy beans turn into a paste called miso as they ferment. The paste is easier to digest than the unfermented soy beans, and people have been eating it for centuries. About 500 years ago, someone discovered that instead of discarding the sauce at the bottom of the barrels, theycould use it for cooking. Thus, soy sauce was invented.

Unlike making wine from grapes, soy sauce brewing is performed in two stages. First, the soy beans are steamed and mixed with toasted crushed wheat. Fungi Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus sojae are added to the mixture to make koji (the first step in the soy sauce-making process) that is then left uncovered for a couple of days. Next, salt and water are added to koji to form a mash called moromi. Moromi is then put in airtight containers where it is allowed to ferment for at least 6 months. The mash is then squeezed to get the liquid soy sauce. Finally, the sauce is filtered, pasteurized, and tightly bottled for distribution.

Questions
I. Koji phase

1. In the koji phase, the mixture is inoculated with two species of Aspergillus fungi, and the mixture is left uncovered. i) If you analyze the microbial populations found in koji, what do you expect to find?

A. Aspergillus fungi only
B. Aspergillus and other fungi
C. bacteria only
D. various fungi (including Aspergillus) and bacteria
E. no microbes

ii) If you expect to find microbes other than the ones with which the mixture was inoculated, explain where they come from and why they thrive in koji. If you do not expect to find additional populations, explain why not.

Ans: Because the koji mixture is left uncovered, microbes other than what the mixture was inoculated with have a chance to fall into the vats. And because many nutrients are available in this complex mixture, these various species can thrive in koji.

2. In the koji phase of soy sauce production, the content of the bean/wheat paste and the number of fungi change. These two processes are

A. related to each other in that the rate of one is dependent on the rate of the other
B. related to each other in that both are caused by the same third process
C. unrelated to each other

3. What reactions/processes (if any) are responsible for changes described in question 2 above?

Ans: Macromolecules found in koji are broken down via hydrolysis reactions, and some of the glucose generated is utilized through glycolysis and respiration by the various organisms in the mix to produce ATP for metabolism and reproduction.

4. Where in the cell do these reactions/processes occur?

Ans: The hydrolysis reaction that break down macromolecules actually happen outside of the cells. Enzymes secreted by the two Aspergillus species are particularly important in catalyzing the breakdown of macromolecules. Glycolysis proceeds in the cytoplasm of individual cells, citric acid cycle and ETC occur in the mitochondria.

II. Moromi phase

Once Aspergillus has broken down the macromolecules in the soybeans and wheat into monomers, the koji phase ends. Moromi is then made by mixing koji with water and enough salt to make a 16-20% concentrated salt solution, or brine.

1. When brine is added, the populations of microbes found in koji change. Do you expect greater or lesser microbial diversity?

A. Greater
B. Lesser

2. How does adding brine lead to these changes?

Ans: Most microbial species can’t survive at high salt concentrations because osmosis causes water from inside the cell (low salt environment) to leak out into the high salt environment of the outside.

3. Another challenge to the microbes in moromi is that it is placed in airtight containers for a number of months. What types of microbes will survive under these conditions?

Ans: Organisms that are either always anaerobic in their metabolism or those that can switch to anaerobic metabolism.

Explain how they obtain energy for life processes.

Glycolysis does not require oxygen, so organisms use glycolysis to derive their ATP. But because this type of metabolism requires that NADH molecules are recycled back to NAD+, pyruvate is fermented to either lactic acid or ethanol in the reaction that recycles NADH back to NAD+.

4. Both lactic acid and ethanol are found in soy sauce after the moromi phase is complete. At a minimum, how many species of microbes thrive in moromi?A. 0

B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
E. can’t tell
Justify your answer.

Ans: Fermentation pathways end up with either lactic acid or ethanol as waste products. Because both are present in moromi, we know that both types of fermentation have to be performed by organisms in the mixture, i.e. there are at least two types of microbes at work here.

5. Lactic acid and ethanol are produced from the same starting material.
i) What is the starting molecule?
A. Glucose
B. Pyruvate
C. ATP
D. NADH
E. CO2
F. Other
ii) What other waste products are produced along with lactic acid and/or ethanol?

Ans: In the ethanol fermentation, pyruvate is first converted to a substance that can be converted to ethanol, releasing CO2 as a waste product along the way.

iii) Do lactic acid and ethanol result from oxidation or reduction of their respective precursors?
A. Lactic acid and ethanol both result from oxidation of the precursors
B. Lactic acid and ethanol both result from reduction of the precursors
C. Lactic acid results from oxidation, while ethanol results from reduction
D. Lactic acid results from reduction, while ethanol results from oxidation

III. Alcohol concentrations

Fermentation easily occurs without human intervention. For example, tiny breaks on the skin of ripened grapes allow entry of microbes. Fermentative yeasts thrive in the interior of the grape, which provides both the high concentration of sugars and low pH. Yeasts metabolize the grape sugars for energy, and the waste products—carbon dioxide and ethanol—are rapidly transported out of the cell. In an artificial fermentation, such as making wine, the process is carried out in a manner that permits CO2 to escape while preventing the entry of O2. There, alcohol continues to build up until the alcohol tolerance level of the specific yeast population is reached, ending the fermentation cycle.

1. Notice that not all grape sugar is converted to ethanol. Why not?

Ans: At some point the concentration of ethanol produced by the yeast becomes so high that the yeast can no longer tolerate it and the yeast population dies out. Unutilized sugar remains when the yeast cross their ethanol tolerance threshold and start dying, the unutilized sugar will remain in the mixture. The fermentation stops before all the sugar is used up, a sweet wine will be produced. If the fermentation continues until virtually all the sugar has been used up, a “dry” wine will be produced.

2. If you removed the alcohol as it was produced, would you predict an increase or a decrease in the amount of grape sugars at ten days? An increase or a decrease in the population of yeast at ten days?
A. No change in either sugar or yeast
B. Increase in sugar, no change in yeast
C. Decrease in sugar, no change in yeast
D. Increase in sugar, decrease in yeast
E. Decrease in sugar, decrease in yeast
F. Increase in sugar, increase in yeast
G. Decrease in sugar, increase in yeast

3. A bottle of wine may spoil if it is allowed to sit for some time after being opened or if its cork does not form a tight seal.i). Does the amount of grape sugar left in the wine change if the wine spoils?
A. No, the amount of sugar does not change if the wine spoils.
B. The amount of sugar increases if the wine spoils.
C. The amount of sugar decreases if the wine spoils.
ii). Explain what causes the wine to spoil under these conditions.
Ans: Contamination from airborn microbes results in new metabolic acitivity. Remaining grape sugar is broken down by these newly arrived organisms either through lactic acid fermentation or through citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation (ETC).

Post by:
Jovin

An interview with a QA director on “My Best Advice”

Background of the interviewee

- Received a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and a Master’s degree in Food Science with a minor in Food

Microbiology. He has worked in the environmental field as well as in food laboratory environments, and

now serves as Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Technical Services for a major U.S. food processing company. He says his job is very rewarding, because it is, in his words,

 “a pragmatic application of science.”  It was what the industries practice so i think it is quite useful to read it.

He actually talked about product recall which i think it could increase our understanding towards recalling procedures based on pragmatism from this particular article. Some of the interesting questions were extracted out from the interview based on his experience.

Q: How do food recall situations usually start, in your experience?

A: The classic way that it starts is from a complaint from our consumer hotline. The initial complaint

often doesn’t give us enough information. Then we’ll get a second complaint, or a third—and you see a

pattern. Then you start digging and doing your research right away, whether the complaints pinpoint a

plant or a line or a process. You’re trying to find out when it happened, exactly what happened and

where—to put some boundaries around it.

Q: What are the biggest and smallest recalls you’ve been involved in?

A: The smallest probably involved, maybe, 15 cases. It was an *allergen labeling problem. The largest was

probably 31,000 cases. The problem there was *foreign material.

*I was thinking whether the causes of recalling could still be allergen and foreign material even if these two companies have proper labeling and GMP practices... 

Q: What in the world makes the difference between a 15-case and a 31,000-case recall?

A: It’s the scope. You do your investigation and go back through your records and decide what happened

when. The 15-case one was pretty easy. The record showed the film (printed bags) was put on the line,

it was the wrong film, and they took it off the line. The product was put on hold, but a partial pallet got

released. It was a simple gap in the production process.

In the other one, the foreign material looked like it was shed on the production line, over a given

period of time. What you always try to do with foreign material is determine whether it’s an isolated

incident, or something that was systemic. When your raw materials are crops dug out of the ground,

you’ve got foreign stuff coming into the plants all the time. We have procedures for containing it, shutting a line down, isolating the problem and cleaning it up. So when you get a complaint about a foreign

object, you have to decide if it came in with the raw material, or if it’s something that shows a systematic failure of a piece of equipment on the line, like a shard of metal.

Q: What’s it like working with the FDA?

A: I’ve found them very good to work with. They generally want to do what’s right and want to be pragmatic. They’re fairly rigid in what they expect. They have their own internal protocol in terms of how

decisions are made—like how to classify a recall as I, II or III—so the person you’re working with in the

field may not be the person who’s making the decision, and sometimes that’s frustrating.

Recalls are voluntary, so they really can’t force us to do one, or can’t come in and just take control.

What they will do, is ask all sorts of very specific questions and expect you provide them the information, rather than showing up and your plant and saying, ‘We’re going to investigate.’  They WILL come

into your facility after a recall, to inspect and decide if they feel comfortable with the safety of the products coming out of there. Most of the flurry of activity is in the containment phase, which has to be

done very quickly, within a day or two. The follow-up and verification is done over weeks, and months.

On a Class I recall, it may be a year before it’s totally done. 

Q: But overall, will people survive a recall?

A: Maybe. You have to keep impeccable records, and you have to keep them for 3 to 5 years. They won’t

survive if they don’t have good records. I guess it was for the cases which would develop the disease after period of time but not immediately just like BSE. 

By Yueming

Genes Make It Hard For Some to Give Up Salt. Is it true?

As hard as you may try to eat less salt, low-sodium foods can taste awful -- especially, suggests a new study, if you have a genetic predisposition to dislike them.
People who are particularly sensitive to bitter flavors, the study found, tend to eat more salt and have a harder time eating less of it, because salt masks bitterness. As experts urge Americans to cut their intake by more than half to 2,300 milligrams (about a teaspoon) of sodium a day or less, insights like these might help identify the people who will need the most help.
Despite evidence that cutting down on salt could improve heart health and save 100,000 American lives each year, our consumption has only crept upward.
"Not everyone lives in the same taste world," said John Hayes, a biophysiologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. "With all of these efforts to reduce sodium, some people are going to have a much harder time with that."
About 25 percent of people experience flavors more vibrantly than everyone else, thanks to differences in the tiny bumps that house taste buds on our tongues. The gastronomic world is more extreme to these people, known as supertasters. Fats taste creamier. Sugar tastes sweeter. Chilies taste spicier. Even green, leafy vegetables taste more bitter.
Hayes and colleagues expected that supertasters would also taste salt more intensely, and that in turn, they would need less of it to get the same salty satisfaction as someone with a more average palate. But when the researchers asked 87 healthy men and women to keep detailed food diaries for five days, they were surprised to find that supertasters consumed the most sodium throughout the week.
In follow-up taste tests, the scientists also report today in the journal Physiology & Behavior that supertasters were more likely to notice the difference between varying sodium levels in a range of foods including soy sauce, potato chips and chicken broth. They were also generally more turned off by low-sodium products, like cheese and pretzels.
Besides adding saltiness, sodium blocks bitterness and balances flavors and textures in everything from bread to yogurt drinks, which helps explain why more than 80 percent of the sodium we eat is in processed foods and restaurant meals. But even as manufacturers work to lower sodium levels in their products, subtle differences in salt sensitivity might end up affecting the way we eat.
"How foods taste affects how much you like it," Hayes said. "How much you like it affects how much you eat. And how much you eat affects your health.
Still, even if your genes make you a supertaster, you are not forever doomed to a high-sodium diet and a stressed heart. Studies show that experiences play a large part in determining which foods people like, said Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. And anyone can learn to prefer less salt.
The new work suggests that some people might simply need to find different ways to avoid and mask the bitter flavors that are so sensitive to.
"This is a really important topic because this is a major public health problem," Beauchamp said. "The more we understand about the basis for why people consume excess salt, the better our chances of finding ways to reduce it."
- By Swe Mar Tun @ Sweety

Benefits of soy products, including soy sauce......

Scientists in Hull say food products made from soy could help in the treatment of diabetes and heart disease.

A team from Hull University based at the city's Royal Infirmary has found that women who increased their intake of soy showed a marked improvement in their blood glucose control.
They also had lower levels of cholesterol which is associated with heart disease.
Produces made from soy include tofu, soy sauce and soy flour.
Blood vessels
Dr Steve Atkin said: "It appears at this stage as though something in soy foodstuffs can delay the onset of diabetes and prevent further risks of heart attack.
"We know that in the Far East, where the intake of soy is far higher than over here, they suffer far less heart disease than we do."
The reason women seem to benefit is that soy appears to act on blood vessels in the same way as the female hormone oestrogen.
Some types of oestrogen have been shown to reduce cholesterol.
Seven months
To take their work forward, the team is looking for volunteers from the local community to help with the study.
"We would like to hear from women with diet-controlled diabetes who are post-menopausal," Dr Atkins explained.
"The study will take seven months to complete but it only involves taking a tablet twice a day."

Are you risking a heart attack by eating " Western Diet"?

 

Swapping fried and salty foods for fruit and veg could cut the global incidence of heart attacks by a third, a study of eating habits suggests.

 

Researchers analysed the diet of 16,000 people in 52 countries and identified three global eating patterns, Circulation journal reports.
The typical Western diet, high in fat, salt and meat, accounted for about 30% of heart attack risk in any population.
A "prudent" diet high in fruit and veg lowered heart risk by a third.
An Oriental diet, high in tofu, soy and other sauces, made no difference to heart attack risk. The researchers created a dietary risk score questionnaire based on 19 food groups and then asked 5,561 heart attack patients and 10,646 people with known heart disease to fill out their survey.
People who ate a Western diet had a 35% greater risk of having a heart attack than those who ate little or no fried foods and meat.
The typical Western diet has been widely linked to heart disease. High salt in the diet can raise blood pressure and the wrong type of fat can clog blood vessels.
Investigating overall eating patterns is more true to life than looking at intake of individual foods or nutrients.
Global trend
The researchers said their work suggested that the same relationships between food and heart disease that are observed in Western countries exist in other regions of the world.
Lead author Romania Iqbal, of McMaster University in Canada, said: "30% of the risk of heart disease in a population could be related to poor diet."
The researchers said that while components of the Oriental diet might be bad for the heart - such as the salt in soy sauce - these elements were likely cancelled out by protective components.
Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study shows that it doesn’t matter whether you live in Bolton or Bombay, or whether you like to eat British, African Caribbean or Asian foods.
"The vital thing is to reduce your intake of salty, fried, fatty food to a minimum but increase the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat.

_ Swe Mar Tun @ Sweety

Hmm... Yummy. Crispy fillet steak with chili sauce and lime lemongrass pilau!!! Soy sauce as seasoning?

Fillet steak is given a kick of oriental spicing here along with a fragrant citrus pilau rice and a deliciously sticky sauce.

Ingredients

For the pilau

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 25g/1oz butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 lemongrass stem, outer leaves removed and finely diced
• 300g/10½oz basmati rice
• 450ml/16fl oz vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the steak

• 4 x 250g/9oz fillet steaks
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 tbsp potato flour
• 1 tsp ground star anise
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 150ml/5fl oz rice wine vinegar
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar
• 4 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 10cm/4in piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Preparation method

1. For the pilau, heat a deep frying pan or saucepan until medium hot, add the oil and butter and gently cook the onion, garlic and lemongrass for about two minutes, or until just softened.
2. Add the rice and cook for one minute, stirring all the time, then add the stock and bring to a simmer.
3. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid, then simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender.
4. Stir in the lime zest, juice and coriander and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Meanwhile, rub the steaks with the vegetable oil. Mix together the potato flour and star anise and thoroughly dust the steaks, pressing the flour onto the meat to completely cover it.
6. Heat a frying pan until hot, add the olive oil, then fry the steaks for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the steaks from the pan and set aside to rest for 2-3 minutes.
7. Place the rice wine vinegar and caster sugar in a separate pan and bring to a simmer. Add the soy, chilli and ginger and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and slightly sticky.
8. To serve, spoon some pilau rice onto each plate. Carve the steak into thick slices, place over the pilau and then pour the sticky chilli sauce over the steak.

Taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/crispy_fillet_steak_with_08366

-Swe Mar Tun @ Sweety

Interesting recipes using Kikkoman's soy sauce

Barbecue soy dip*

Ingredients for 4 portions:

• > 1 sprig of thyme
• > 1 sprig of rosemary
• > Jalapeno chillies (according to taste)
• > 1 onion
• > a red bell pepper
• > 1 gherkin
• > 2 tbsp. sunflower oil
• > 200 ml tomato ketchup
• > 5 tbsp. Kikkoman naturally brewed soy sauce

Chop the thyme and rosemary leaves finely. Chop the chillies finely (remove the cores for a less intensive flavour). Peel and finely chop the onion. De-seed the pepper and gherkin and also chop finely. Heat up the oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Then add the pepper and gherkin cubes, ketchup and soy sauce. Season with chilli, thyme and rosemary and simmer briefly.
Tip! Tastes excellent with grilled meat or can be mixed like pesto with pasta.

*Recipe of professional chef, Thomas Krause, who owns a network of cookery schools
Preparation time: 15 mins
Per portion: 561 kJ / 134 kcal

Orange and carrot salad Kikkoman-style

Ingredients for 4 portions:

• > 8 carrots
• > 3 oranges
• > 4 spring onions
• > 4 tbsp. orange juice
• > 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• > 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• > 100 g pumpkin seeds
• > 6 tbsp. Kikkoman soy sauce
• > 3 tbsp. vegetable stock
• > 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• > 1/2 tsp. mustard
• > 1/2 tsp. sugar
• > 1/2 bunch of chives

 

Wash, peel and coarsely grate the carrots. Peel and segment the oranges and cut the flesh into small cubes. Wash and trim the spring onions and slice into rings. Mix together prepared ingredients with 2 tbsp. of orange juice and oil. Heat up brown sugar in a frying pan and caramelise the pumpkin seeds, stirring well. Pour in with 2 tbsp. of soy sauce. Use the remaining soy sauce, orange juice, vegetable sock, vinegar, mustard and sugar to make a dressing. Wash the chives and cut into rings. Mix into the dressing and pour over the fresh ingredients. Break the caramelised pumpkin seeds into small pieces. Arrange salad on plates and sprinkle with the crispy pumpkin topping.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Per portion: 1152 kJ / 275 kcal

Tamago sushi (Japanese omelette)

Ingredients for 6 portions:

• > 4 eggs
• > 90 ml dashi stock
• > 3 tbsp. sugar
• > 1/2 tsp. salt
• > a few drops of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• > oil for frying
• > 20 g a few drops of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• > nori leaves (10.5 x 1 cm)

For dipping:

• > Kikkoman soy sauce or Kikkoman sushi & sashimi soy sauce

Mix all the omelette ingredients together in a bowl and fry in a square Japanese omelette pan. Then cut the omelette into around 8 mm thick slices. Roll approx. 20 g sushi rice into a cylinder, place the slice of omelette on top and then bind with strips of nori.

Preparation time: 20 mins
Per portion: 799 kJ / 191 kcal
Taken from: http://www.kikkoman.eu/en/consumers/recipes/

Posted by: Sandy Lee

Special features of Kikkoman soy sauce

KIKKOMAN: Traditionally committed to flavour

Pure ingredients, a natural brewing process and a full flavour consisting of around 300 different aromas are the secret of Kikkoman's success. Gourmets know that Kikkoman soy sauce is suitable for seasoning both Asian and European dishes. Kikkoman soy sauce enhances the typical flavour of many international dishes – from Asian to Mediterranean.

The flavour: a mixture of many natural aromas

During the six-month fermentation process, Kikkoman soy sauce develops its deep, reddish-brown colour, transparency, rich, full flavour and spicy aroma. The sauce's special flavour is created as a result of the combination of around 300 different natural aromas. When used for cooking, these substances subtly flavour the food to enrich its natural flavour – without masking it!

The discovery of the fifth sense of taste

More than 300 years ago, the Mogi and Takanashi families commenced production of naturally brewed soy sauce in Noda, which is close to Tokyo. The secret of their creation is "umami" – which is Japanese for "savoury sensation". Umami is a fifth taste that we can perceive, in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami is what gives naturally brewed soy sauce its special typical flavour. 

Taken from: http://www.kikkoman.eu/en/consumers/soy-sauce-facts/special-features/

Posted by: Sandy Lee

How did soy sauce come about?

The traditions and roots of soy sauce

Soy sauce has been traditionally used to season and refine foods for many centuries. It was invented more than 2,500 years ago by Buddhist monks in China whose beliefs did not allow them to eat meat or meat-based sauces. When these Buddhist monks travelled to Japan in the 6th century, they took the recipe with them. This imported soy sauce soon became extremely popular in Japan. The Japanese refined the flavour of the original Chinese sauce over the centuries by adding wheat and extending the fermentation period. The result was extremely successful and the flavour, aroma and colour of the sauce were much improved. This is how Japanese soy sauce originated.

Japanese vs. Chinese soy sauce:

Two soy sauces, many differences

Japanese and Chinese soy sauces are the most famous varieties. Shoyu – which is the name of Japanese soy sauce – is distinguished by its full-bodied and aromatic flavour. Chinese soy sauce is either dark or pale in colour. The darker version of Chinese soy sauce has a fruity aroma and a fine, delicate flavour. It is generally slightly more salty and doesn't have the typical full flavour of Japanese and Kikkoman soy sauces. Dark Chinese soy sauce contains caramel colour in addition to the basic ingredients. The light variety of Chinese soy sauce has a shorter production time, generally contains additives and doesn't have the full flavour of naturally brewed Japanese soy sauce.

Taken from: http://www.kikkoman.eu/en/consumers/soy-sauce-facts/all-about-soy-sauce/


Posted by: Sandy Lee

Vietnam recalls soy sauce containing carcinogen

Vietnam recalls soy sauce containing carcinogen

Hanoi- Health authorities have ordered a nationwide effort to recall unsafe soy sauce, after tests in several cities showed many brands contained dangerous levels of a known carcinogen, Vietnamese press reported Monday. Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City last month banned 17 brands of soy sauce after tests showed they exceeded acceptable levels of the carcinogen 3-MCPD. Tests last week in Hanoi and Danang turned up more unsafe brands, leading the Ministry of Health to issue the order for a national recall last Friday. 

The soy sauce brands involved are sold primarily to the domestic market, though it was not clear whether some might have been exported. The manufacturers are all local Vietnamese companies, except for Miwon Vietnam, a subsidiary of South Korea's Miwon food conglomerate. Miwon Vietnam officials disputed the government's findings that its soy sauce was dangerous. "We have been unjustly victimized," Le Van Oanh, sales manager of Miwon Vietnam's Hanoi branch, said Monday. "We have followed all the government's regulations very closely."Bui Dinh Thang, assistant to Miwon Vietnam's general director, said the company's own tests contradicted those of the government laboratory. "We have done the test several times at our lab in South Korea," Thang said. "Our test shows only 0.9 parts per million. The Vietnamese government's tests showed 2.4 parts per million." A level of 1 part per million of 3-MCPD is considered safe, according to government standards. Oanh said the company had managed to recall 80 per cent of its product from retailers. Miwon would not disclose how large a fine the government had asked it to pay, saying it would dispute the charge pending the results of further tests at its South Korean laboratory. Soy sauce manufacturers say the carcinogenic 3-MCPD emerges as a result of chemical reactions between ingredients used to boost the sauce's protein content. Last week, Vietnamese press reported that Ho Chi Minh City health officials had initially detected high levels of 3-MCPD in soy sauce in 2001, but had not moved to recall the offending brands. The department has been sharply criticized for the delay. Department officials have explained that they lacked regulations on 3-MCPD until 2005, and were thus unable to take action. Food safety issues surface regularly in Vietnam, but government-mandated recalls are rare. In 2006, food safety authorities announced that tests showed most locally sold rice noodles contained quantities of formaldehyde and borax, but no large-scale actions were undertaken. 

Retrieved from : http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/69061.html

Post by: Jovin