Are products from the region around the Fukushima plant safe?

Japan nuclear issue: PM seeks to calm food safety fears ( News )

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan says produce from the region around the Fukushima plant, which was hit by last month's earthquake and tsunami, is safe to eat despite radiation leaks.

He said radiation levels were now declining and consuming local products was "our way to support the area".
UN nuclear experts also suggested food from the region was safe.
The remarks came as Japan re-classified the nuclear threat to the highest level on a scale of nuclear accidents.
Officials say the decision to raise the rating to level seven reflects the total release of radiation at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, rather than a sudden deterioration.
Level seven previously only applied to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, where 10 times as much radiation was emitted.
In a news conference late on Tuesday Mr Kan said: "People should not fall into an extreme self-restraint mood. They should live life as normal.

"Consuming products from the regions that have been affected is also our way to support the area."

He added: "Step by step, the reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi power plant are moving toward stability."
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has downgraded its assessment of the economy in the wake of last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami - the first time in six months it has downgraded its assessment.
It said key areas of the economy, including industrial production and exports, would suffer.
'Little public health risk'
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the latest food sample data showed contamination in the region was below limits set by Japan.
"Samples of various vegetables, fruit, various meats, seafood and processed raw milk in eight prefectures indicated that iodine 131, caesium 134 and caesium 137 were either not detected or were below the regulation values," IAEA deputy head Denis Flory told reporters on Tuesday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said risk to public health from the accident was no worse after the change.
"Our public health assessment is the same today as it was yesterday," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.
"At the moment there is very little public health risk outside the 30-km (evacuation) zone."
The cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were damaged in last month's earthquake in north-east Japan and the tsunami it triggered.
Workers have been struggling to prevent several reactors from overheating.
Officials have warned it will be several months before the situation at the nuclear facility is brought fully under control.
Last month's earthquake and tsunami it triggered left 13,228 people dead and 14,529 missing.
More than 150,000 people have been made homeless.

- Swe Mar Tun@ Sweety

Can soy sauce cut cholesterol?

Certain types of soy sauce - popular in Chinese cookery - have been shown to greatly reduce the levels of harmful cholesterol.
But experts have suggested that other warnings about the high salt content of soy sauce could confuse people aiming to improve their diet.
Both high levels of cholesterol in the blood, and high blood pressure are contributory factors in the development of coronary heart disease.
A large salt intake has been shown to increase blood pressure.
But the latest research has found that some soy, containing substances called "isoflavones", can produce "dramatic declines" in cholesterol.
Patients with high cholesterol levels given soy containing large amounts of the isoflavones found their levels reduced by 10%.
Even half that concentration resulted in a significant reduction.
Heart disease low in Asia
Studies suggest that people in Asian countries consume roughly 30 to 50 times more soy than in Western Countries.
People in those countries not only have low levels of cardiovascular disease, but also breast and uterine cancer, although it cannot be proven that soy is exclusively responsible for these benefits, as the average Asian diet is far removed from that in the West.
The US researchers, writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, even found that blood pressure dropped among females given higher doses of isoflavones.
However, a UK expert said that consumers were being bombarded with confusing messages about healthy diet.
Soy is often named as a food which is high in salt, and the public are urged to keep their salt consumption down - or risk heart disease.
Dr Mark Davis, a Leeds GP who is chairman of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society, said patients should wait until evidence that any benefits outweigh risks has arrived.
He said: "I think it is confusing, and commercial interests do tend to get involved in this kind of thing.
"The best thing people can do is head towards a Mediterranean-style diet, which has been shown to be healthy."
 By: Swe Mar Tun @ Sweety

Cancer chemical found in soy sauce

A cancer-causing chemical has been detected at levels above those recommended by government scientists in bottles of soy sauce on sale in Britain. The Government's Joint Food Safety and Standards Group conducted the survey after other European states found that some soy sauce contained levels of the contaminant 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), which is known to cause cancer in rats.

The Department of Health said yesterday that there was no immediate risk to the public. However, the suppliers of the affected products were told that their products must not contain detectable levels of 3-MCPD in future. Further tests will be carried out in 12 months' time. The survey, conducted at the Central Science Laboratory in York, involved 40 samples of soy, mushroom soy, oyster sauce and other sauces bought from retail outlets in the past two months.

The Government's recommended limit for 3-MCPD is 0.01mg/kg, and 26 of the samples were close to or below that level, with 21 of them containing no detectable levels of the contaminant. A further five had very low levels - between 0.01 and 0.02 parts per million.

But the level of 3-MCPD in nine of the remaining 14 samples, which have not been named, exceeded the limits. Baroness Hayman, Minister for Food Safety, said: "The important message for consumers is that this is not an immediate health risk and the action being taken should ensure it doesn't become one."

by ivy

Soy sauce 'could reduce symptoms of the menopause'

Soy sauce could reduce symptoms of the menopause among women, such as hot flushes and sleepless nights.

Scientists say soy contains a natural compound which can help reduce production of oestrogen, the hormone which contributes to menopausal problems.

Studies in Japan, where soy is consumed with meals regularly, found that Asian women experienced milder menopausal symptoms than Americans and Europeans where use of soy is less frequent.
Soy has already been found to have anti-cancer properties and can lower cholesterol.
Now researchers say the new wonder food could be an alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy as a way of treating uncomfortable menopausal problems, such as hot flushes and even bone loss.
Soy sauce, made from soya beans, is a traditional accompaniment to Chinese food in the UK.
Experts at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo found women who consumed soy produced a chemical called S-equol which halted bone loss and fat accumulation in women in the early stages of the menopause.
The menopause in women is associated with the body's stage in life when levels of the hormone oestrogen decrease. It is common for the menopause to occur at about 50 years of age among western women.
A reduction in production of oestrogen can be associated with bone loss.
Less severe symptoms include hot flushes among menopausal women the world over.
Despite decades of research the specific cause of hot flushes and why they occur is still not understood, neither is it is known why oestrogen works to reduce them.
Now Japanese scientists have found that women who took a soy based supplement containing S-equol for just three months had much less menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes and neck and shoulder stiffness. 
by ivy

Soy sauce bottle or Soy sauce tidbits for u?

Soy Sauce Bottles in Case Fish Shape Cases!

 It will be much more interesting than a sachet of soy sauce! 
They are just as good for taking soy sauce for sushi and bento box lunch! :)

Soy Sauce flavoured... ...?

 The Funky Soy Sauce Flavour Pringles Potato Chips!

Below are some of the comments for this rare flavoured chips

"It is too salty, taste of rice with soy sauce"

"Soy Sauce is damn good, salty yeah"

"The worst flavour I've seen for chips has gotta be the beans"

From the comments, it seemed that it was not so well-liked by the consumers generally but it was indeed a unique and cool creation! After browsing through certain websites for the chips, i get across the commercial video for this product and it was quite  funny. http://www.ugoto.com/video_soy_sauce_pringles_commercial_is_all_kinds_of_wtf.html

 Limited edition Japanese Soy Sauce Kit Kat!

Some of the comments for this chocolate:

 "It has the scent of soy sauce that will drift faintly if a bag is opened"

“It has the tiniest hint of saltiness, scent of soy sauce with the scent of caramel.”

“it tasted like brown sugar KitKat”

Perhaps the caramel and umami taste make it to be nice. I guess I would like give it a try to any kind of food with soy sauce flavour but hope that It doesn’t taste as if I have just finished drinking a cup of soy sauce. 

 Not soy milk, but soy sauce!!!

By Yueming

Traditional Methods are always the BEST!! IS IT TRUE?

Today, soy sauce can be made by two methods: the traditional brewing method (fermentation) and the non-brewed method (chemical-hydrolyzation).

The fermentation method will take up to six months but the non-brewed method takes only two days to make. If soy sauce can be made in just two days, why do we even bother to spend months making it?

IT IS BECAUSE…..

Sauces produced by the non-brewing method are often opaque with harsh flavour and chemical aroma. It does not have as desirable taste profile as those produced in the traditional brewed methods which produced transparent, delicately colored broth with balanced flavor and aroma.

The difference in taste occurs because the acid hydrolysis used in the non-brewed method tends to be more complete than its fermentation counterpart. This means that almost all the proteins in the non-brewed soy sauce are converted into amino acids, while in the brewed product more of the amino acids stay together as peptides, providing a different flavor. The brewed product also has alcohols, esters, and other compounds which contribute a different aroma and feel in the mouth.

Therefore almost all production companies which include Kikkoman Soy sauce will adopt the traditional brewing method for the making of soy sauce to produce a well-balanced mix of the five basic flavours to satisfy the palate :D

By: Yueming

The Production of Japanese Soy Sauce

The process of making Japanese soy sauce in a factory. All soy sauce may look the same but they vary from region to region.

 

Production process
The explanation of Honjozo ("genuine fermented") type is explained as follows. First, put soybeans and one without lipid in water, pressure and boil them. Roast wheat and smash them up. Following sentence is the main process.

1. Mix an equal amount of boiled soybeans and roasted wheat. Add a little spore of the mold (only for making soy sauce). Mix again for a few days. After this, they changed into enough amount of the mold.

2. Put saline solution into that culture of the mold.

3. They're fermented by the mold. On this time, wild nature lactic acid bacteria make lactic acid in them. After this, wild nature yeasts make alcohol. Most of soy sauce's smell are chemicals produced in this process by the molds. In the molds, an amino-glycosidic reaction takes place.

4. Fold them in nylon cloth and squeeze it. Then they are divided into the liquid and other. This liquid is nearly soy sauce.

5. Heat the liquid, and filter out the contamination in the liquid.

6. Finally, pour the liquid into a container.

 Post by : Jovin