Ketchup as a ‘condiment’ is extremely popular in India and is frequently used to complement a lot of foods such as pizza, burgers, sandwiches, cheelas, bread pakoras, etc. Today it is even used for cooking various dishes as well in homes, restaurants & hotels alike.
A food item, so popular across the length & breadth of the country must be evaluated for its ingredients & nutritional information. In this article, we will give you a simple process to find the right ketchup for you & your family.
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How a Ketchup is made?
To make tomato ketchup, just 5 or 6 ingredients are needed, namely –
- Tomatoes
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Spices &
- Condiments, etc.
But if look at the ingredients list of any popular ketchup in India.
Other than the ingredients listed above, you will also see acidity regulator E260, thickener E 1422 & E415, and preservative E211.
This is common for the majority of the ketchups and there is a specific reason these food additives are used.
Are these food additives safe?
Xanthan Gum
E415 or Xanthan Gum is a thickening agent and it is used in ketchup to achieve the desired thickness or viscosity of the product.
However, the use of a good number of quality & ripe tomatoes will help thicken the product through its pectin content, which is naturally found in tomatoes or another alternative could be fruit pectin.
Though it’s absolutely safe and used in quantities given by FSSAI, however, consumption of a large amount of xanthan gum is linked (1) to digestive issues such as increased stool, gas, etc.
And it is commonly found in foods like salad dressings, soups, sauces, syrups, etc.
So, unless you’re consuming a lot of this stuff, this is unlikely to cause a problem.
However, a product can be made without this food additive.
Acetylated distarch adipate
E1422 or Acetylated distarch adipate is another thickener or stabilizer which is used in combination with xanthan gum in most ketchup products available on the market.
Generally found to be safe, manufacturers can do without this food additive by using good quality tomatoes.
Heinz, the world’s leading ketchup brand, doesn’t use any of the thickeners in making their product.
Sodium Benzoate
E211 or sodium benzoate is a preservative that is used to make the product shelf-stable.
It is also known that when sodium benzoate is combined with ascorbic acid or vitamin c in sodas & beverages, it converts to benzene which is a known carcinogen (2).
It is also used in a range of products such as pickles, jelly, salad dressing, soy sauce, beverages, etc.
And, its use is also linked to an increased risk of inflammation, oxidative stress in the body and is also linked to hyperactivity in children (3).
So, it’s better you keep a check on the ingredient labels of food products you are consuming throughout the day that contains sodium benzoate and limit their consumption.
Heinz, again, an example of how to make ketchup without a preservative and still stay shelf-stable for a good amount of time.
Analyzing ingredients of some popular Indian ketchups
Kissan chilli tomato sauce has sugar as its second ingredient, which means the second-highest used product in this ketchup by weight is sugar, and tomato paste is just 22%.
And all the additives discussed above are part of the ingredient list.
Veeba Truly tomato despite having not used any preservative & thickener has a lot of sugar, 39% to be precise.
Maggi rich tomato ketchup also has sugar as its second ingredient at 31%.
Heinz is way better than these with 22% sugar and no use of any food additive but tomatoes are just 26%.
Bottom line
Though minimal use of ketchup shouldn’t be a cause of concern for people, but, the way it’s consumed in Indian homes coupled with not the right proportions of ingredients used by manufacturers is particularly concerning.
However, you as aware consumers must keep in mind that a good percentage of tomatoes, ideally more than 50-60%, is what you should aim for while purchasing ketchup.
This will minimize the use of other ingredients and will give you access to a better product.