Fermented tofu
Other names furu, sufu
Fermented tofu: high in histamine, tyramine and nickel; low in FODMAPs, gluten, oligosaccharides, salicylate and oxalates. If you're sensitive to any of these, check it against your profile before eating.
Intolerances
- Histamine (+liberators / DAO inhibitors)High
Fermented tofu is cured in brine for weeks or months, and amines accumulate the whole time. It is eaten in small cubes, but the concentration is high enough that the portion does not rescue it.
- TyramineHigh
Fermented tofu cures in brine for weeks, and tyramine accumulates for as long as it sits there. It is the soy product furthest from plain tofu on this axis, though the two share a name. Fermented soy is where this axis is decided, and it was measured as such: the level follows a survey of biologically active amines in FERMENTED SOY PRODUCTS. The fermentation is the variable - the same bean unfermented is a different food here.
Sources· 1
- Toro-Funes N. et al., Food Chemistry 173 (2015) 1119-1124, biologically active amines in fermented soy products
- NickelHigh
Fermented tofu is tofu that has been cured further, so it starts from the highest-nickel food group measured and loses nothing on the way. It is eaten in small cubes, which is the only thing keeping the dose down.
Sources· 2
- Flyvholm M-A et al., Z Lebensm Unters Forsch 179 (1984) 427-431, nickel content of food and estimates of dietary intake
- Noel L et al., Food Chemistry 132 (2012) 1502-1513, second French Total Diet Study, nickel among nine trace elements
- FODMAPsLow
Fermented tofu is low although the soybean is one of the highest-GOS foods there is, because it has been pressed first and then fermented, so both steps have worked on it. Soy is the clearest illustration on this axis that processing decides the level rather than the plant: the same bean gives natto at the top and this at the bottom.
- GlutenPossible
Fermented tofu is cured in a brine that often contains rice wine or soy sauce, and most soy sauce is brewed with wheat. The tofu itself has never been the question. What a label may promise is set by regulation and not by a recipe: 828/2014 allows "gluten-free" at or below 20 mg/kg, sets the conditions oats must meet, and admits wheat-derived ingredients in a gluten-free food provided the finished product stays under that ceiling. It measures nothing — it says what a food must meet to carry the claim, which is exactly what a food name cannot tell you.
Sources· 1
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the conditions for a gluten-free claim
- OligosaccharidesFODMAPsLow
Fermented tofu is pressed and then fermented, so the GOS are removed twice over - once with the whey and once by the mould. It is intensely salty and used in small amounts, which settles the rest.
Sources· 1
- Švejstil R. et al., Sci Agric Bohem 46:2 (2015) 73-77, raffinose-series oligosaccharides in soybean products
- SalicylateLow
Soy is low and fermentation does not add salicylate. Chilli-fermented versions are a different product on this axis.
- OxalatesLow
Fermented tofu comes from the soybean, which carries oxalate like any pulse - but the processing matters more than the bean. Fermented tofu is tofu first, set with a CALCIUM salt that binds the soybean's oxalate in the curd, and the brine it matures in adds nothing on this axis. Oxalate is water-soluble, so what is boiled and drained differs from what is steamed or eaten whole.
Sources· 1
- Gad S. et al., Food Chemistry 8:3 (1982) 169-177, oxalate of pulses and the effect of cooking
- LactoseFODMAPsNone
- FructoseFODMAPsNone
- SorbitolFODMAPsNone
- SucroseNone
Intolerance levels are based on our documented scientific sources. See sources →
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Frequently asked questions
Which intolerances does fermented tofu affect?
Fermented tofu is notable for histamine, tyramine, nickel, FODMAPs, gluten, oligosaccharides, salicylate and oxalates. Clear on lactose, fructose, sorbitol and sucrose.
Does fermented tofu contain histamine?
Yes — fermented tofu is high in histamine. Fermented tofu is cured in brine for weeks or months, and amines accumulate the whole time. It is eaten in small cubes, but the concentration is high enough that the portion does not rescue it.
Does fermented tofu contain tyramine?
Yes — fermented tofu is high in tyramine. Fermented tofu cures in brine for weeks, and tyramine accumulates for as long as it sits there. It is the soy product furthest from plain tofu on this axis, though the two share a name. Fermented soy is where this axis is decided, and it was measured as such: the level follows a survey of biologically active amines in FERMENTED SOY PRODUCTS. The fermentation is the variable - the same bean unfermented is a different food here.
Does fermented tofu contain nickel?
Yes — fermented tofu is high in nickel. Fermented tofu is tofu that has been cured further, so it starts from the highest-nickel food group measured and loses nothing on the way. It is eaten in small cubes, which is the only thing keeping the dose down.
Does fermented tofu contain FODMAPs?
Fermented tofu contains only low levels of FODMAPs. Fermented tofu is low although the soybean is one of the highest-GOS foods there is, because it has been pressed first and then fermented, so both steps have worked on it. Soy is the clearest illustration on this axis that processing decides the level rather than the plant: the same bean gives natto at the top and this at the bottom. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.
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