Because of the particularity of soy sauce as a seasoning for grain brewing, it is easier to deteriorate than other foods. In order to extend the shelf life of soy sauce, merchants will add sodium benzoate to soy sauce.
It is precisely because of the particularity of sodium benzoate as a preservative that many people can't help but feel panic and worry after learning about the ingredients added in soy sauce, fearing that eating too much of this soy sauce will increase the risk of cancer.
First of all, "preservative" does not mean poison.
According to the standard, as long as the acute toxic intake of sodium benzoate is below 0.5mg, it can be completely degraded by human body, and only when people ingest more than 30g of sodium benzoate at one time may there be hidden dangers of poisoning.
For example, it is equivalent to drinking dozens of bottles of soy sauce in one breath, which is obviously unrealistic.
Secondly, the carcinogenicity of sodium benzoate has not been confirmed.
After reading all the research data about sodium benzoate, only one paper suspected of causing DNA damage was related to cancer theory, and at the end of the paper, the researchers did not point out that sodium benzoate caused cancer.
Moreover, adding sodium benzoate to soy sauce has strict food management and conditioning restrictions. Under the premise of legal and compliant production, it will not endanger our health. Please rest assured that it is a healthy and rational choice to treat daily necessities with a normal heart.
But then again, it's really a good thing that China people are more and more strict about the use of additives and more transparent about food production.
Compared with the big brand products that are worried about legal compliance, some small workshops that do not meet the standards are the "culprits" that may really cause additives to harm the human body. Learning to identify foods with unqualified additives can better protect your health.