Is SANC a Healthier Soy Sauce?

Listen, we obviously love SANC here. But you must be wondering: what makes SANC so special? Is SANC a healthier option for me? Why should I pick SANC, a premium Korean soy sauce, over any other non-premium brand? 

The short answer:
Yes, it’s healthier and it tastes better.

The long answer:
SANC is a traditional soy sauce brewed with modern techniques. We are constantly working to make our sauce an exceptional seasoning with your health and satisfaction always in mind. We do this by using clean, real, and functional ingredients. This thought process also led us to reduce the amount of sodium in our sauce (less than most major brands) and cut out high fructose corn syrup from our production.

We believe real good food is an art. To that end, we elevate our offering with real, clean ingredients and by piping classical music into the soy sauce as it ferments.

Let's check out a breakdown of our clean ingredients as listed on the bottle:
Water: precious H2O from local Korean sources.
Defatted soybeans: non-GMO local soybeans with almost all of the oil removed.
Wheat: a type of grass used around the world to make bread (among other things), locally sourced.
Salt: NaCl, a very tasty mineral vital for life. Our bodies use it to control nerve signals and muscle functions.
Alcohol: A by-product of the fermentation process, alcohol enhances the aroma of soy sauce. Soy sauce is not considered alcoholic - most of it gets burned away after working its magic to help diffuse flavor!
Crystalline Fructose: a refined version of corn starch. Unlike high-fructose corn syrup, which is a mix of fructose and corn syrup, crystalline fructose is almost (99.5%) pure fructose. This white powder is sweeter than sugar and HFCS, allowing us to use less for the same result. We use it to feed the yeast. By the end of fermentation, SANC has only 0.3grams of sugars in each serving (partly in thanks to the musical fermentation process, explained more below).
Yeast extract: Yeast is a bacteria that eats the sugars and amino acids (from the soybeans) and produces hundreds of complex flavor compounds, giving the soy sauce its strong aroma, deep flavor, and characteristic dark color. Two natural by-products of this process are alcohol, as we mentioned, and another one is a chemical group called amines. These are building blocks for amino acids, but by themselves they have been mentioned as potentially cancer-causing carcinogens. That's why we went to the next level and developed a strain of yeast that is more efficient and produces fewer amines! 
Steviol Glycosides: a molecule from the stevia plant, this is a natural sweetener stronger than sugar but with no calories and no impact on your glycemic index. We use it to round out the flavor during our fermentation process.
Grapefruit extract: a natural preservative and a citrusy flavor brightener.

SANC, like all traditional soy sauces, starts with soybeans. We use defatted soybeans, which means most of the oil is removed and the remaining beans are ground into a thick powder called “meal” (like oatmeal). This "soybeanmeal" is higher in protein, lower in fat, and rich with essential amino acids, fiber, and minerals.

The wheat is roasted and ground and blended with the soybeanmeal. This mixture is inoculated with Koji mold, and the mixture is kept dry and safe until the koji mold spreads throughout. The koji will provide the enzymes required to break down the proteins present in the soy sauce. When the koji is strong (about 2-3 days) the mixture is added to a saltwater brine with the yeast extract. Crystalline fructose and steviol glycosides are added to feed the yeast and round out the final flavor, and fermentation officially begins!

Over the next 6+ months, the mixture ferments. The yeast eats the crystalline fructose and the amino acids first processed by the koji, and creates the flavors and aromas soy sauce is known for.

This is also when we add our secret ingredient: music! By piping in music 24/7 for the entire fermentation process, we unlock the rich umami flavors hidden in the sauce. The science behind this is sound. Consider the process of caramelizing onions: slowly cooking the onions, stirring often, capturing and constantly re-infusing the flavors over time. We do the same thing with the molecules in the soy sauce, using the vibrating waves from the music to gently agitate the sauce over 6+ months! We also find that highly dynamic music is more effective at unlocking the hidden flavors. To that end, we choose Mozart to play for the sauce.

For my fellow science enjoyers, this paper and this paper make it clear: the addition of energy via soundwaves has a positive effect on fermentation. The extra energy from the sound means the yeast doesn't have to work as hard to be exposed to all the sugars, the sugars break down easier making them more bioavailable, and the cell walls of the yeast are more permeable meaning more sugar can be processed. Fermentation happens sooner and at a more intense rate under the influence of music. Science!

Mozart and SANC, classic music and traditional soy sauce, harmonizing through modern techniques.

Near the end of the process we add grapefruit extract, a natural preservative that adds just the right citrusy brightness.

Our clean ingredients and special processes make SANC a healthier soy sauce option than many other brands you might know. 

After the soy sauce is finished we test it to ensure maximum quality, bottle it up, and send it to you! We’ve seen our customers make pizzas, burgers, French onion soup bites, and even tiramisu!

We only have one question left… What will you make with SANC Premium Soy Sauce? Pick up a bottle (or a gift set!) and share your creations with us on Instagram or Facebook. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!