Is teriyaki sauce ultra-processed?

Blue Dragon Sweet Teriyaki Sauce is classified as Likely NOVA 4. It contains sodium benzoate (a preservative) and ammonia caramel (E150d) for colour. Sugar is the first ingredient at 80g per 100g — making it 80% sugar by weight. A homemade glaze with soy sauce and honey achieves similar flavour without preservatives or industrial colour.

How much sugar is in teriyaki sauce?

Blue Dragon Sweet Teriyaki contains 80g sugar per 100g — the highest of any product in our recipe swap analysis. That’s 80% sugar. By comparison, the homemade glaze uses 50g of honey across the entire recipe (spread over 400g of tuna), giving you full control over the sweetness level.

Is MSG ultra-processed?

No. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is NOVA 1 — it’s a naturally occurring amino acid salt found in tomatoes, parmesan, and seaweed. It’s been used in cooking for over a century. SpikeSaver’s NOVA classifier correctly identifies it as unprocessed.

Glucose: Low7 ingredients

Tuna Steak Recipe — Ingredient Analysis: NOVA Scores, Hidden Sugars & Glucose Impact

We analysed every ingredient in this honey-soy tuna steak recipe. 7 simple ingredients. The shop-bought teriyaki sauce alternative? 80g sugar per 100g — the highest sugar content in our entire swap set.

Original recipe by

Baked Tuna Steak with Soy Sauce and Honey by Brian Jones at Krumpli · @krumplibrian

SpikeSaver Ingredient Analysis

Ingredient	Qty	NOVA	Hidden Sugars	Glucose	Protein
Fresh tuna steak	375–400g	NOVA 1	None	Negligible	100g
Ground nut oil	1 tbsp	NOVA 2	None	Negligible	—
Ginger	35g, thumb-sized	NOVA 1	None	Negligible	0.6g
Dark soy sauce	4 tbsp	NOVA 3	None	Negligible	1.2g
Chinkiang vinegar	1/2 tbsp	NOVA 3	None	Negligible	—
Honey	50g	NOVA 2	honey	Medium	0.2g
MSG	Pinch	NOVA 1	None	Negligible	—

Per serving (2 servings)

310

Calories

51g

Protein

18g

Carbs

Fat

0.5g

Fibre

Overall verdict

NOVA 1–3: whole ingredients with processed sauces1 hidden sugarGlucose: Low

A minimal 7-ingredient recipe. The tuna and ginger are NOVA 1, soy sauce and vinegar are NOVA 3. Honey is the only sugar source — used intentionally. MSG is NOVA 1 (a naturally occurring amino acid salt). The shop-bought teriyaki alternative tells a shockingly different story.

The swap comparison

What happens when you swap from-scratch ingredients for shop-bought shortcuts?

Homemade soy-honey glaze (4 ingredients: soy, vinegar, honey, ginger)

→

Blue Dragon Sweet Teriyaki Sauce 250ml

Likely NOVA 41 UPF marker1 sugar alias11 ingredients

Lens	From Scratch	Shop-Bought	Delta
NOVA/UPF	NOVA 1–3, 0 UPF markers	Likely NOVA 4, 1 UPF marker (sodium benzoate preservative)	+1 UPF; preservative added to extend shelf life
Hidden Sugar	1 known sugar (honey, controlled at 50g)	1 alias (sugar) — but sugar is ingredient #1	Sugar is the dominant ingredient, not a supporting flavour
Glucose Impact	Medium (honey in known quantity)	80g sugar/100g, 84g carbs/100g	80% sugar by weight — the highest in our entire swap set
Protein/Macros	7 simple ingredients	1.6g protein, 8.5g salt/100g, 348kcal, ammonia caramel colour	8.5g salt/100g; ammonia caramel adds zero nutrition

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