Two sauces, two effects

[Leila Choudhry]

A colleague of mine said that they were left severely bloated after cooking a chicken chow mein meal from a sauce packet. Their usual brand was out of stock and so they just picked up another. Compleyely unaware that this would happen they tried another brand soon after and was left with no symptoms. They are now trying to narrow down the culprit. Results back from AI suggested the following: "Comparing the two lists, the sauce that caused you severe bloating includes ingredients like Barley Malt Extract, Defatted Soya Bean Flakes, and Roasted Wheat in the Dark Soy Sauce component. It also contains Red Chilli Paste with an additional acidity regulator (Acetic Acid) and yeast extract paste."

The white list: Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce (8%, Water, Soybeans, Salt, Wheat Flour), Garlic, Modified Starch, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil, Spring Onions (1%), Ginger (1%), Yeast Extract, Chilli, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Colour (Plain Caramel), Flavouring

The black list: Water, Sugar, Dark Soy Sauce (7%) [Water, Salt, Sugar, Barley Malt Extract, Defatted Soya Bean Flakes, Colour (Plain Caramel), Yeast Extract, Spirit Vinegar, Roasted Wheat], Ginger Purée (4.5%), Spring Onion (4.5%), Modified Maize Starch, Garlic Purée (3.5%), Onion Purée (3%), Toasted Sesame Oil, Red Chilli Paste (1%) [Red Chilli Peppers, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid)], Colour (Plain Caramel), Yeast Extract Paste, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid)

They say that they can eat French stick baton bread and have soya sauce withouht issues.

Any ideas ?

[exchemist]

1 hour ago, Leila Choudhry said:

A colleague of mine said that they were left severely bloated after cooking a chicken chow mein meal from a sauce packet. Their usual brand was out of stock and so they just picked up another. Compleyely unaware that this would happen they tried another brand soon after and was left with no symptoms. They are now trying to narrow down the culprit. Results back from AI suggested the following: "Comparing the two lists, the sauce that caused you severe bloating includes ingredients like Barley Malt Extract, Defatted Soya Bean Flakes, and Roasted Wheat in the Dark Soy Sauce component. It also contains Red Chilli Paste with an additional acidity regulator (Acetic Acid) and yeast extract paste."

The white list: Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce (8%, Water, Soybeans, Salt, Wheat Flour), Garlic, Modified Starch, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil, Spring Onions (1%), Ginger (1%), Yeast Extract, Chilli, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Colour (Plain Caramel), Flavouring

The black list: Water, Sugar, Dark Soy Sauce (7%) [Water, Salt, Sugar, Barley Malt Extract, Defatted Soya Bean Flakes, Colour (Plain Caramel), Yeast Extract, Spirit Vinegar, Roasted Wheat], Ginger Purée (4.5%), Spring Onion (4.5%), Modified Maize Starch, Garlic Purée (3.5%), Onion Purée (3%), Toasted Sesame Oil, Red Chilli Paste (1%) [Red Chilli Peppers, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid)], Colour (Plain Caramel), Yeast Extract Paste, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid)

They say that they can eat French stick baton bread and have soya sauce withouht issues.

Any ideas ?

If you buy these industrial concoctions you are asking for it. Why use 5 ingredients when 25 will do, eh? Worse than a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe.😄

 But I don't know what ingredients cause bloating in susceptible individuals. That's more of a medical than a chemistry question, it seems to me. Someone else here may be able to help.

[TheVat]

Black list not only had four times as much spring onion, but also additional onion puree that the white list lacked.  That's your cuprit.  Both high in fructans, which are fermentable oligosaccharides that are intensely gas producing.  Severe bloat is just another way to say "I need to stroll around for a while, farting nonstop."

 

[Leila Choudhry]

I believe they used the term "bed stricken" i.e. they had to go to sleep.

[iNow]

Sensitivity to onions is common. Similar issues exist for corn, potatoes, cinnamon, avocado, etc. 

[CharonY]

3 hours ago, exchemist said:

If you buy these industrial concoctions you are asking for it. Why use 5 ingredients when 25 will do, eh? Worse than a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe.😄

I mean, looking at the ingredients it does not seem too bad. The second one might have different design principles as they used a lot of coloring, potentially suggesting that the ingredients were not of great quality (though this is probably true for all sauce packages). The use of caramel for color is generally not harmful, but should not be found in decent quality soy sauce. It darkens during the fermentation process naturally, so adding colour just makes it appear to have aged longer, without providing the flavour.

It is also possible that the production process bleaches out the colour and they restain it, but chances are that this will impact taste, too. But for bloating onion is a good first assumption.

[Leila Choudhry]

Thank you all for your help.

They are aware that onions negatively affect them, but missed the ingredient on the labelling.

For thousands of years medics of all hues ascribed stomach ulcers to stress, but it just wasn't true. They had a protective layer that prevented the stomach's acid from dealing with them. An Australian came along and proved this and demistified the matter, once and for all.

I am sure something similar will happen with so called allergies.

[exchemist]

20 hours ago, CharonY said:

I mean, looking at the ingredients it does not seem too bad. The second one might have different design principles as they used a lot of coloring, potentially suggesting that the ingredients were not of great quality (though this is probably true for all sauce packages). The use of caramel for color is generally not harmful, but should not be found in decent quality soy sauce. It darkens during the fermentation process naturally, so adding colour just makes it appear to have aged longer, without providing the flavour.

It is also possible that the production process bleaches out the colour and they restain it, but chances are that this will impact taste, too. But for bloating onion is a good first assumption.

Maybe you are right, I was a bit thrown by the enumeration of the ingredients in the soy sauce. I don’t know what modified maize starch is for - a thickener perhaps? - nor what function yeast extract paste serves. But aside from these and some of the soy sauce components, the other ingredients seem broadly recognisable.

[iNow]

2 minutes ago, exchemist said:

maize starch is for - a thickener perhaps

That's my interpretation. It's corn starch, like what we use in slurries to thicken sauces

[exchemist]

Just now, iNow said:

That's my interpretation. It's corn starch, like what we use in slurries to thicken sauces

What we call cornflour, then?

[iNow]

We call it corn flour  

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cornstarch-vs-corn-flour

[CharonY]

37 minutes ago, iNow said:

That's my interpretation. It's corn starch, like what we use in slurries to thicken sauces

Also, yeast extract is typically used for flavoring. It is a cheap source for umami. 

[iNow]

6 hours ago, CharonY said:

Also, yeast extract is typically used for flavoring. It is a cheap source for umami. 

Good to know. Next time I lack mushrooms for my dish I’ll add some bread starter 😂 

[MigL]

Didn't know we had amateur 'chefs' here.
Do we need a Recipe forum ?

[CharonY]

Cooking is just applied biochemistry.