Ketchup: practical and tasty, but what about health?
Ketchup is a very popular sauce , probably second only to mayonnaise in fame. Contrary to popular belief, it does not originate in the Americas . Or at least not in its original form: it seems that this sauce actually comes from distant Malaysia , where it was “discovered” by English sailors during their explorations in the early 18th century. In the Asian state, a sauce known locally as kicap (but also kecap , or ketjap ) was consumed, made from fermented fish or soy . A very similar term for the sauce, kezap , was also common in Cantonese cuisine , while in Taiwanese cuisine, kiô-chiap was used : whatever the origin of the name, the pronunciation was later anglicized into the universally known “ ketchup ”.
There is no single recipe for ketchup, especially considering that in the past, versions containing mushrooms , walnuts , lemon , and even cucumber were produced ! But the first formulation more or less similar to the ketchup we all know was created by the American Sandy Addison, who, in 1801 , published the recipe for this sauce in the traditional American cookbook Sugar House Book . From then on, many tried their hand at modified and gradually improved ketchup recipes, until the famous company F. & J. Heinz launched its own version of “ tomato ketchup ” in 1876 with the impactful slogan: “ Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household! ” . A reference, obviously, to the long and laborious processes that preparing ketchup at home required. And that’s how the Heinz company and ketchup definitively entered history .
The base of this sauce is tomato , flavored with salt , sugar , and vinegar , to which thickeners , spices , acidity regulators , and preservatives are added as needed in industrial-scale preparations . Ketchup is rarely used in Mediterranean cuisine and is quite limited compared to other culinary traditions. Ketchup is commonly used to flavor foods such as French fries and potato croquettes , as well as the classic accompaniment to hamburgers , hot dogs , or grilled meats . It can also be used, mixed with mayonnaise, to quickly prepare a pink sauce for use with shrimp or canapés, while some even use it to remove the dark patina from silver or copper utensils! Thanks to the acidity of the tomato and vinegar, ketchup is able to restore even the most encrusted kitchen utensils to their original splendor (see the link: http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2007/10/12/un-uso-alternativo-per-la-ketchup/ ).
But let’s return to our analysis of ketchup from a nutritional point of view .
Ketchup: types on the market
There are currently dozens of different ketchups on the market, produced by large and small companies, both foreign and Italian. The most popular format is undoubtedly the glass or plastic bottle , which varies in capacity but has a narrow neck that prevents air from entering, preventing oxidation and thus the product from turning brown. Plastic containers are also very popular , with the opening pointing downwards to prevent contact with air. Typically, the container is 250 ml , although larger ones exist.
A curiosity: in October 2000 , the extremely popular American company Heinz released a series of products under the “ EZ Squirt ” line, ketchups variously colored in green , purple , pink , orange , blue , and cyan thanks to the addition of artificial colorings to the standard sauce. It took a full six years for the product to be discontinued : in January 2006 , the company realized that consumers didn’t particularly appreciate this multicolored ketchup. Fortunately, it never made it across the pond to reach Italian markets…
But here are some examples of ketchup compositions marketed in our country, and produced by well-known companies in the Italian and international food scene.
Ingredients:
“ Tomato concentrate (77%), brandy vinegar, sugar, modified corn starch, salt, spice extracts, spices, sweetener: saccharin .”
One of the biggest problems with ketchup is the origin of its most important raw material: tomatoes . Food companies often use tomato paste or semi-paste as the starting ingredient, resulting in a major inconvenience for consumers: its unknown provenance . Companies aren’t required to specify on the label where these tomato-based semi-finished products come from , and several cases have already been discovered in the past involving tomatoes imported from China containing residues of pesticides toxic to humans, some of which have even been banned in Europe for years. In this case, consumers simply can’t do anything about it, relying solely on the reliability of the manufacturing company, which—hopefully—should only source products of proven quality and free from any health risks .
The product specified above contains modified corn starch , which serves as a thickener, unspecified spices , and a low-calorie artificial sweetener such as saccharin . None of these ingredients are, in and of themselves, dangerous to our health, and in any case not in the quantities contained in a ‘standard’ dose of ketchup. However, since ketchup itself is low in calories , and is used in minimal quantities , one wonders what the point of using an artificial sweetener such as saccharin is.
But here’s a second example of an ingredients list:
Ingredients:
“ Tomato semi-concentrate , sugar, beetroot vinegar, salt, corn starch, flavour enhancer: monosodium glutamate , modified corn starch, acidifier: citric acid, preservative: E211 , spices .”
The preservative listed as E211 is the infamous sodium benzoate , which is added to prevent mold growth within the product. If taken in excessive doses, E211 can be toxic and trigger allergic reactions in predisposed individuals such as young children, asthmatics, people with a known hypersensitivity to aspirin, or those who suffer from hives. This preservative, if taken in large quantities, can cause gastric irritation and neurological disorders . Certainly, the doses of E211 present in ketchup are minimal , and one would have to consume enormous quantities of this sauce to risk the problems listed above, but consumers could still opt to purchase a product that does not contain this preservative. The ketchup in question also contains thickeners ( corn starch , modified corn starch ) and flavor enhancers ( monosodium glutamate ), while the starting raw material is tomato paste , a product which – as mentioned above – can legitimately arouse suspicion . As for flavor enhancers, which are generally spoken of negatively, it should be emphasized that these are not harmful to health, at least not in the doses present in ketchup. These are substances that can potentially trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals (the so-called “Chinese restaurant syndrome”), but in themselves they are harmless to normal people. Probably the most important negative aspect of monosodium glutamate is that it contains sodium : and it is well known that the intake of this element in the diet should be extremely limited .
Unlike other types of sauces, however, we can also find good-quality ketchup products on the market, containing above -average ingredients . For example, this ketchup, marketed under the brand of a well-known Italian retail chain :
Ingredients:
“ Tomato , sugar, alcohol vinegar, salt, spices.
Contains the following allergens: celery.”
The ingredient list for this latest product is decidedly comforting : first of all, the ketchup is made from “real” tomatoes , and not from semi-concentrated or tomato concentrates of dubious origin. Furthermore, it contains no thickeners, acidifiers, or preservatives, just sugar , vinegar , spices , and salt . Of the three products we’ve seen so far, this is certainly the best in terms of composition: (a few) simple ingredients, with the mandatory specification of the presence of the allergen celery .
As these examples highlight, it is not impossible to find good quality products on the market : to do this, just take a look at the label and critically evaluate the list of ingredients and the nutritional table, if any .
Nutritional values of ketchup and considerations
Below is the nutritional table for 100 grams of traditional ketchup , compared with a type of ketchup with a reduced sodium content .
| NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Average values per 100 g | |||
| “Traditional” ketchup | Ketchup “less sodium” | ||
| ENERGY | kcal (kJ) | 98 (411) | 104 (435) |
| Waterfall | g | 64.8 | 66.6 |
| Proteins | g | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Carbohydrates | g | 24 | 27.3 |
| g | 22.9 | 24.8 |
| g | 1 | 1.3 |
| g | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Fats | g | traces | 0.3 |
| g | – | – |
| Cholesterol | mg | – | – |
| Sodium | mg | 1120 | 20 |
| Vitamin C | mg | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Lycopene | mg | 17.0 | 19.0 |
In the often daunting panorama of sauces, made up of excessively caloric products with disproportionate amounts of fat, ketchup is one of the “healthiest” alternatives . It is, in fact, a product that on average provides around 100 calories per 100 grams, compared to the over 650 kcal of mayonnaise. This is due to the fact that just under two-thirds of the ketchup we buy is made up of water (around 65 grams/100 g). Since it is made mostly with tomatoes or their derivatives, ketchup contains very little protein (around 2 grams/100 g) and is completely absent . The most significant caloric contribution is therefore due to carbohydrates , which represent around a quarter of the product; among these, sugars dominate , due to this ingredient’s addition to sweeten the sauce’s flavor.
Ketchup is a light product, therefore , with few calories , but it is still necessary to be careful with its sodium content . One hundred grams of ketchup contain just over one gram of sodium, and it is important to consider that the acceptable daily amount for this element should not exceed 2.4 grams . This means that ketchup could, if consumed in excessive doses, lead to an imbalance in daily intake: therefore, it is necessary to be careful with how much sauce you use, especially considering the already very salty foods with which it is frequently paired: chips, hamburgers and so on. A good alternative, even if the product is not very widespread, is to use reduced- sodium ketchup : essentially, it is a less tasty sauce but certainly healthier , containing around 20 milligrams of sodium compared to the 1120 of traditional ketchup. However, since the most commercialized type is the extremely salty ‘standard’ one, the risks of water retention and hypertension must be kept in mind.
Yes, because if for once the food “under trial” (ketchup) isn’t the one we should be wary of, the real danger lies in the foods it accompanies . The risk of consuming veritable ” calorie bombs ” is the real issue we need to guard against: even if the ketchup used has virtually no impact on total calorie intake, this shouldn’t give us the all-clear on fried foods, hot dogs, and chips.
Ketchup contains significant amounts of lycopene , an antioxidant molecule that, as a pigment , is responsible for the bright color of tomatoes (as well as the red and yellow of other vegetables). Cooking the tomatoes used to make ketchup makes the lycopene more bioavailable , meaning it can be absorbed by the body. This molecule, in addition to having a counteracting effect on free radicals , also appears to have a protective effect against the onset of cancer .
The quantities of ketchup typically used to season foods, and the frequency with which we consume it, probably don’t provide enough of the benefits associated with the presence of lycopene, but they certainly help place this product among the first choices in terms of healthiness , compared to other sauces on the market. With the recommendation, expressed above, not to overdo it with any foods that require it as an accompaniment !
