FAQs

Our FAQ page will help you find answers to our frequently asked questions. Whether you're curious about our products, packaging, sourcing, or other policies, you'll find everything you need right here.

Various Lima products are sourced from suppliers in the south of Japan. Most of these suppliers are small, traditional businesses, with whom we have had quite close ties for several years already. Many of them depend on the partnership with Lima for the survival of their business. That is why we have decided to continue the distribution of their products for the most part. We have systematic checks for radioactivity in place to continue to guarantee impeccable products to our customers.

  • Products originating from high-risk areas in Japan are inspected upon arrival in the Port of Antwerp by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC).  
  • The Lima Expert lab also takes samples of some products. These are then analysed by a specialised lab at Ghent University. 
  • We measure a product’s radioactivity, which is expressed in becquerel/kg (Bq/kg) and detect caesium, iodine and potassium by measuring luminescence. 
  • To date, we have not found increased radioactivity in a single product imported from Japan. The maximum radioactivity we measured to date in our products is smaller than the lowest quantifiable detection limit (5-20Bq/kg).  
  • Lima’s commitment to guarantee safe and healthy products remains the same.  

Lima’s packaging is also designed to impact the environment as little as possible. Our packaging complies with the current legislation regarding the presence and migration of harmful substances. Lima does not use bisphenol A, which is used in some plastic bottles and which directly comes into contact with food products. We also always prefer phthalate-free plastics.

Both tamari and shoyu are sauces made of naturally fermented soy that were produced according to a traditional Japanese method. You can use both of these flavour enhancers to naturally season dishes as well as enhance the natural flavours of the ingredients. The difference between the two can be explained by their composition.

Tamari (gluten-free)  

  • Consists of pure fermented soy.  
  • You can also use it while cooking or as a condiment at the table. 
  • Perfect for seasoning stews, dressings, marinades, stir-fries, soup, pasta, and stock.
  • Combines well with rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and mustard.
  • Lima’s Tamari is gluten-free.  

Shoyu (not gluten-free)

  • Contains fermented soy and wheat.
  • Shoyu owes its characteristic flavour to the aromatic components that are formed during the fermentation process.
  • Shoyu cannot withstand prolonged heating, which is why you should only add it at the end of the cooking process, so it retains its flavour.
  • Perfect for seasoning stir-fries, pickles, rice, noodles, sushi, sashimi or steamed vegetables.
  • Combines well with mirin (rice wine), wasabi, ginger or grated daikon radish.  

Our Lima Tamari and Shoyu sauces are pasteurised at the end of their fermentation process. This pasteurisation allows the sauces to be stored under optimum conditions. 
 
For information:
There is a fermented, unpasteurised soy product in the Lima range: Miso Hatcho (pure soybeans). As it matures for a very long time, it keeps very well in its natural state. This end product still contains living microorganisms.

You can use agar agar as a substitute for animal gelatine in jam, desserts, pastries and savoury preparations. Agar agar is extracted from red seaweed and has a strong gelling action. It dissolves easily and is easy to dose as it comes in sachets of 2 grams. That means agar agar is healthy, easy to use and animal-friendly. Do you want to use agar agar when cooking? You’ll find a few examples below.

Jam:

Making jam without gelatin is a snap using agar agar.

  • Use 4 grams of agar agar for every kilo of fruit or every litre of fruit juice.
  • Cook the fruit until done and add agar agar.
  • Allow to boil for a few more minutes. Make sure the jam does not boil for too long or the gelling strength weakens.
  • Lastly, allow the jam to cool and don’t stir it so it can set.  

Cold desserts:

You can also use agar agar in cold preparations. Just mix the right quantity of agar agar with a bit of fruit juice or water. Let the mixture boil for a few minutes and then add it to your preparation.  

A few tips:

  • You need a very light jelly for desserts that are served in a ramekin. Use 2 grams of agar agar for every 50 cl of water or fruit juice.
  •  You will need a firm and elastic jelly to remove a large terrine from its mould and slice it. Use 4 grams of agar agar for every 50 cl of water or fruit juice.
  • Tart preparations such as fruit desserts require a somewhat larger dose of agar agar.  

Our vegetable-based cereal drinks contain about 1% sunflower oil. We add this to obtain a stable emulsion as oats, rice and spelt do not contain enough fats. However, we do not add fats to soy drinks as they naturally contain enough fats.

Yannoh “Filter” is a grain coffee that contains gluten, which can be used for drip-brewed coffee. This alternative to coffee is produced with roasted cereals such as barley, rye and wheat which contain gluten. The grains and roots are roasted with warm air in production. The temperature never exceeds 80° C. After roasting, the ingredients are ground and mixed. Yannoh Filter is prepared just like drip-brewed coffee to obtain an aromatic beverage with a roasted flavour.

Yannoh “Instant” is a grain-based instant alternative to coffee and contains no gluten. Yannoh Instant is gluten-free because the gluten in the wheat, barley and rye is removed during the production and filtration process.

The production process

  • Yannoh “Filter” is the basis from which Yannoh “Instant” is made. We use Yannoh “Filter” to prepare very strong grain coffee on a large scale. To achieve this, hot water is pumped through a series of percolators.  
  • The leftover grit remains in the filters and the highly concentrated extract is collected at the end of the process.  
  • The gluten stays behind in the leftover grit, because gluten is insoluble in water.
  • The gluten-free extract is first evaporated and then fully dried, after which it is atomised in a spray drier.
  • The moisture completely evaporates, leaving dry instant coffee powder.
  • Frequent testing confirms that Yannoh “Instant” is gluten-free.