Stock cube
Broth cubes (in Germany, soup cubes in Germany and Austria, bouillon cubes in Switzerland and West Germany, also known as Maggi cubes ) are a cuboid pressed mixture, mostly made of salt , dried seasoning , flavor enhancer or yeast extract and types of sugar that are made with fat , mostly hydrogenated vegetable oil , is bound. Depending on the variety and brand, it may contain other substances such as caramel , celery extract , spices , herbs, meat extract and vegetables . If they are dissolved in hot water, a broth is created . They serve as a practical and inexpensive substitute for meat or vegetable broth.
The stock cubes invented by Liebig's Extract of Meat Company (LEMCO) in the 1880s still consisted of Liebig's meat extract , beef tallow and vegetable seasonings. In 1909, Maggi offered bouillon cubes for the first time, which instead of meat extract contained condiment made from denatured vegetable protein. This seasoning has a taste that is reminiscent of meat and costs less than meat extract , so that “Maggi cubes” and comparable products from Knorr and others were able to prevail over the “Liebig cubes” and are still almost exclusively offered.
Stock cubes usually do not contain meat. The only difference between simple bouillon cubes and fatty bouillon is their vegetable oil content. Vegetable stock cubes also contain small amounts of dried vegetables. According to EU assessment criteria, only meat stock cubes contain at least 670 mg meat extract per liter. Fish stock cubes contain fish extract accordingly.
The main ingredient, the seasoning , is produced by low - fat, protein- rich vegetable raw materials such as soy protein or corn gluten or "animal by-products" (in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002), i.e. slaughterhouse waste, being dissolved ( hydrolyzed ) by boiling in dilute hydrochloric acid . Excess hydrochloric acid in the protein hydrolyzate is converted into sodium chloride during the subsequent neutralization with caustic soda or soda , which results in the high salt content. Products with a lower salt content were obtained by enzymatic digestion of proteinaceous substances.
According to the EU organic regulation, organic stock cubes must not contain any flavor enhancers. However, this only applies to adding them in isolation. In fact, thanks to the addition of yeast extract, organic bouillon cubes usually contain comparable amounts of free monosodium glutamate as conventionally produced ones; as a component of the yeast extract, it does not have to be declared as a flavor enhancer. Ingredients such as seasoning or flavoring can also contain glutamate, especially when reference is made to corn, wheat or soy.
Grained broth is roughly the same as broth cubes in its composition, but the ingredients are dried and not pressed, which makes them soluble more quickly.
In Germany and Austria there is also gravy in cubes and goulash juice in Austria.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Günther Klaus Judel: The story of Liebig's meat extract , in: Spiegel der Forschung from October 1, 2003
- ↑ Current information from the official examination of food, cosmetics and consumer goods ( Memento from January 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Annual report 2002 of the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Offices (CVUA) Karlsruhe, PDF file, from the Wayback archive. Last accessed February 18, 2016.
