FAQ

Our strengths:

• Our own laboratory manned by a qualified microbiologist to control quality standards in both raw materials and finished products. Good quality soya sauce cannot be produced without good quality soya beans which is our main ingredient.
• Our products fulfill the Food Regulations 1985 and we give this guarantee in all our labels.
• Soya sauce is a fermented product, which means it is made from the process of fermentation by microorganisms. Hence, upon maturing of the raw soya sauce, the microorganisms population is very high in the raw soya sauce. Just as one needs to pasteurise milk it is better to apply heat-treatment on the raw soya sauce before bottling it for sale. We must do this heat-treatment process in order to kill the microorganisms that are responsible for soya sauce fermentation. Otherwise, these microorganisms will continue to ferment inside the bottle and thereby, giving shelf-life problems such as gas formation, mold growth and in extreme cases, 'popping' of the caps, bursting of the bottle and 'blown-up' appearance for plastic container. Therefore for non-heat treated soya sauce excessive preservatives have to be added to prevent such product spoilage symptoms.

This is called browning effect – a reaction between amino acids and reducing sugar. The sauce is perfectly good but the colour has been oxidized to a darker shade.

However, protein and TN determination is by a chemical means. (One simple layman means to compare quality is to place your fingers into the soya sauce and feel the texture, if it is high in protein content, it will feel smooth like egg white otherwise it will feel rough like salt water.)

However we envisage that the current trend is a fine balance between salty and sweet. Hence, our soya sauce taste is in the equilibrium of these two extreme tastes of sweet and salty.

Refer to Reuters 4th June 2006 "Dark Soya Sauce is better then Red wine" – Prof. Bany Halliwell.
Refer to Health Encyclopedia Nov 2006 "Sugar Soya Sauce marinades quashes" CopS Health News Friday 21, July 2006
Refer to August 1993 Reader's Digest "Foods that Keep you live longer"
Refer to scientific publication by Prof. Dr. Michael Pariza " A taste of soya Keeps cancer at bay"
Soya sauce is digested soya bean protein and it is a product of nature (action of microorganisms that produces amino-acids in soya sauce) and is an excellent seasoning item mainly because of the action of amino-acids from the soya bean protein.

Hence it is worth your money to use authentically fermented good soya-sauce as a seasoning item in all your cooking with consequent reduction in salt intake.

Unless after opening, the soya sauce is put in the fridge, microbes from the air will contaminate the sauce which has been opened and cause post contamination spoilage if there is no permitted level of preservative to check and inhibit the growth of spoilage microorganisms.

This is a natural reaction through oxidation and that explains why the top of the tauceong is always darker that the rest. We can also see a similar reaction with apples/ potatoes that have been sliced open and exposed to air.

These white flecks or spots are crystals of amino-acids (from soya-bean protein). The taucheong is not spoiled, it is still good.

The common factors consumers look for in the thick soya - sauce are thickness, colour and bitterness. Colour and bitterness depend on the type of raw materials used. Tapioca gives a darker brown and it will be slightly more bitter taste than using molasses as raw materials . But the most important factor to look for in thick soya sauce is its protein content. The Malaysian Food Regulations 1985 stated the protein content in soya sauce in terms of T.N. (total nitrogen) must not be less than 0.6% w/v.

Unlike soya sauce or soya bean sauce, HVP sauce is a chemical sauce made by breaking down the vegetable or plant protein with concentrated hydrochloric acid and the hydrochloric acid is then neutralized with an alkali. Hence, HVP SAUCE IS NOT FERMENTED SOYA BEAN SAUCE ( OR SOYA SAUCE ).

Ref Regulation 340 Food Act 1983 & Food Regulation 1985. Soya sauce shall be prepared from the fermentation of the bean of the plant Glycine max and cereal or flour.

In Bahasa Malaysia, it is written as SOS P.S.H. FOR HVP sauce and P.S.H. Sebatian for Blended HVP Sauce.

This is similar to beating of an egg white. This must not be confused with a spoilt product whereby foam keeps on rising until it oozes out from the bottle.

Chemical flavoring compounds have been known to be used to impart a greatly enhanced appealing savory taste to the soya sauce. To make it tastier, these chemical flavoring compounds will deliver a prolonged flavor- gives a lingering taste at the tongue. Examples of such chemical flavoring compounds are:

• IMP ( Inosine-5'-monophosphate)
• GMP ( Guanosine-5'-monophosphate)
• I&G ( 50 : 50 mixture of IMP and GMP )
• MSG ( Monosodium -L-Glutamate )

Gourmets who takes pride in protecting the original natural flavour of the dish prepared, will not be in favour of using chemical flavoring compounds. This is because such chemical flavouring compounds will give a lingering taste at the tongue that overpower the distinctive signature natural flavour of that particular dish.

Soya bean milk is white because it is produced from the process of soaking soya beans, grinding them, then squeezing and filter, to produce soya bean milk. Soya sauce is dark in color because soya sauce is produced from the fermentation of soya bean with wheat flour, salt and water. The dark color of soya sauce is the result of Maillard reaction during fermentation.

Color is the difference. The dark (thick) soya sauce is light soya sauce blended with caramel. Caramel is a natural colorant made from Tapioca starch or other starch. Caramel is also used in coloring sweets and drinks.

Double Camels brand light soya sauce has a higher protein content than the single camel.

"First Draw" refers to the olden days of making soya sauce after the soya sauce is matured. The soya sauce is drawn out from the fermenting mash by siphoning. Then the salt water is added into the remaining fermenting mash. Drawing out of the soya sauce is done many times after adding of salt water. Here in Kong Guan there is no "First Draw", "Second Draw" or "Third Draw". This is because once our fermenting mash (Maromi) is matured, the whole fermenting mash (Maromi) is sent for pressing to press out soya sauce leaving behind a solid cake which is sold as feed meal.

Soya sauce fermentation is similar to wine fermentation. We ferment for 90 days to achieve the full body aroma and flavor of soya sauce.