Editing Soy sauce (section)

== Sensory profile ==
{{hatnote|This section uses three-letter codes for amino acids to save space. See {{section link|Proteinogenic amino acid|Structures}} for a list.}}
The taste of soy sauce is predominated by saltiness, followed by moderate umami, sweetness, and finally slight bitterness, which is hard to perceive due to the masking effect of other tastes. The overall flavor of soy sauce is a result of the balance and interaction among different taste components. The saltiness is largely attributed to the presence of NaCl (common salt) in brine. The sugars hydrolyzed from starch add sweetness into soy sauce. Umami is largely caused by the presence of free amino acids, mainly [[glutamine]] and [[aspartic acid]]. Sodium from the brine and [[disodium ribonucleotides]] from the soy also add to the umami. Other amino acids cause additional basic flavors, with sweet coming from Ala, Gly, Ser, and Thr; bitter coming from Arg, His, Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, Trp, Tyr, and Val; and no taste from Cys, Lys, and Pro.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tseng|first1=Yu-Hsiu|last2=Lee|first2=Yu-Ling|last3=Li|first3=Ruei-Chian|last4=Mau|first4=Jeng-Leun|title=Non-volatile flavour components of Ganoderma tsugae|journal=Food Chemistry|date=May 2005|volume=90|issue=3|pages=409–415|doi=10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.03.054}}</ref> The amino-acid [[nitrogen]] content, an indication of the free amino acid concentration, is used in China for grading soy sauce. The highest "special grade" is defined at ≥&nbsp;0.8&nbsp;g/100&nbsp;mL.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ouyang |first1=Qin |last2=Chen |first2=Quansheng |last3=Zhao |first3=Jiewen |last4=Lin |first4=Hao |title=Determination of Amino Acid Nitrogen in Soy Sauce Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy Combined with Characteristic Variables Selection and Extreme Learning Machine |journal=Food and Bioprocess Technology |date=September 2013 |volume=6 |issue=9 |pages=2486–2493 |doi=10.1007/s11947-012-0936-0|s2cid=98448382 }}</ref>

Despite a large variety of volatile and odorant compounds that have been identified in soy sauce, the food product ''per se'' does not present a strong aroma. Alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, heterocyclic compounds, alkynes and benzenes have been identified in Chinese soy sauces.<ref name="FengEtAl" /> An explanation for this observation is that the aroma of soy sauce does not depend largely on the aroma-active compounds. The subtle aroma is a result of a "critical balance" achieved among all volatile and odorant compounds, whose respective concentrations are relatively low.