Features of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
What makes Kikkoman Soy Sauce unique?
Kikkoman Soy Sauce is appreciated by both professional chefs and amateur cooks in countries around the world. The Kikkoman trademark is the iconic and multi-award-winning soy sauce dispenser with the red cap designed by Kenji Ekuan. But Kikkoman doesn’t just set international design standards: it also applies stringent quality standards to the recipe, production, flavour and quality of Kikkoman Soy Sauce. These are the things that make Kikkoman Soy Sauce so special and unique:
1. Natural ingredients
Kikkoman Soy Sauce is made from four carefully selected ingredients: water, soybeans, wheat and salt. The soybeans are all guaranteed GMO-free.
2. No artificial additives
Kikkoman Soy Sauce contains no artificial additives such as flavour enhancers, colours or preservatives.
3. Entirely naturally brewed
Kikkoman Soy Sauce is naturally brewed in a six-month fermentation process. The flavours and aromas are produced naturally – without the assistance of any chemicals whatsoever.
4. Complex aromatics
Around 300 different aroma components are produced in the brewing process, including components that remind us of vanilla, fruits, whisky or coffee. Although the approx. 300 components occur in such minute amounts that they cannot be individually identified, together they create the exceptional and distinctive aroma unique to Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
5. Exceptionally high protein/nitrogen content
In the Japanese market, soy sauces are graded by the total nitrogen/protein level under the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS). The grade of soy sauce indicates the level of Umami in it. Kikkoman Soy Sauce contains 10g of protein per 100ml, which clearly puts it in the “Special Grade” soy sauce category.
| Grade | Total Nitrogen | Protein |
| Special Grade | > 1.50 | > 9.38 |
| High Grade | > 1.35 | > 8.44 |
| Standard Grade | > 1.20 | > 7.50 |
6. Full-bodied UMAMI flavour
The harmonious combination of the five basic flavours sweet, sour, salty, bitter and Umami, and the subtle balance between them, give Kikkoman Soy Sauce its delicious taste.
Soy sauce is particularly rich in naturally produced Umami components that are generated during the brewing process. These Umami components are composed of about 20 different amino acids, which are produced when the koji mould dissolves the proteins contained in the soybeans.
7. Transparent, reddish-brown colour
The unique colour of Kikkoman Soy Sauce is the result of the “Maillard reaction”, which begins two or three months after brewing starts. In this reaction, glucose and other sugars combine with amino acids to produce a brown pigment called melanoidin, which gives soy sauce its beautiful colour.
8. Aroma and colour intensification
One special effect of Kikkoman Soy Sauce is aroma and colour intensification. When Kikkoman Soy Sauce is heated up in the frying or grilling process, a wonderfully appetising aroma is created and the colour of the sauce intensifies.
9. Odour-inhibiting effect
Kikkoman Soy Sauce also has a special effect on the way fresh ingredients smell. Some ingredients like fish, seafood or meat have a strong and sometimes even unpleasant smell that can be reduced or eliminated by marinating them in soy sauce.
10. Manufactured in accordance with European standards
Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce is manufactured in Europe according to European standards.
