What Is Doubanjiang? How Sichuan’s Pixian Doubanjiang Differs from Japanese and Taiwanese Versions, with Salt, Mold Toxin, and Histamine Checked Against Official Sources

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Doubanjiang (トウバンジャン, chili bean paste) is a must-have for mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork (hui guo rou). Stores carry many kinds: “Pixian doubanjiang” from Sichuan, China, doubanjiang from Japanese makers, and doubanjiang made in Taiwan.

You often hear things like the following.

• “Authentic doubanjiang is made only from broad beans and chili peppers”
• “Doubanjiang is very high in salt”
• “It is a fermented food, so I worry about the mold toxin (aflatoxin)”
• “Fermentation produces histamine”

This article checks the following against official sources and papers.

• What doubanjiang is, and how Sichuan’s Pixian doubanjiang is defined in Chinese standards
• How the ingredients differ in doubanjiang sold in Japan and Taiwan
• How it differs from tianmianjiang (sweet bean sauce), gochujang, and XO sauce
• How much salt it has
• How the mold toxin standards differ between Japan and China, and whether there have been violations at import
• What research shows about histamine and other substances produced by fermentation

Summary

• Under China’s geographical indication standard (a system that protects the name of a place of origin), GB/T 20560-2006, Sichuan’s Pixian doubanjiang is defined as having red chili peppers and broad beans as the main ingredients, and salt and wheat flour as secondary ingredients. The broad bean koji is fermented for at least 6 months, then combined with the chili peppers and aged for at least 3 months through stirring, sun exposure, and exposure to night dew. A product that does not meet the standard cannot be called “Pixian Douban”
• Doubanjiang sold in Japan and Taiwan has varied ingredients. In examples from Japanese makers, some use Chinese soybean miso and sugar in addition to broad beans. The Taiwanese “Organic Doubanjiang” (トウバンジャン, Kaze to Hikari) introduced in this article uses soybeans and wheat rather than broad beans, and sugar is the largest ingredient. This is not a matter of which is right; the methods and ingredients simply differ
• In the food composition tables, “doubanjiang” has 17.8 g of salt equivalent per 100 g, more than koikuchi soy sauce (14.5 g). One teaspoon (about 5.7 g) has about 1.0 g (calculated from the numbers in the tables). However, it varies by product, and one product in Japan had 13.5 g
• For the mold toxin aflatoxin, a food with total aflatoxin above 10 µg/kg violates Japan’s Food Sanitation Act. China sets aflatoxin B1 in fermented pastes (jiang) such as doubanjiang at 5.0 µg/kg or less. In the cases of import violations published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) (fiscal 2002 through September 2026), the aflatoxin violations in doubanjiang were two cases from Taiwan in fiscal 2015 (18 to 29 µg/kg)
• For biogenic amines such as histamine produced by fermentation, a survey of 406 commercial products in China found a median histamine of 15 to 23 mg per kg. Research has reported that fermenting with less salt tends to increase biogenic amines. However, we found no studies of the health of people who eat doubanjiang within the scope we checked

What is covered in this article

The article introduces the following items, matched to each point (they are Rakuten Ichiba links).

What is doubanjiang?

Doubanjiang is a spicy Chinese seasoning made by fermenting chili peppers and beans with salt. In Japan’s food composition tables (MEXT, “Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th Revised Edition), 2023 Supplement”), it is listed as “トウバンジャン” in the “pungent seasonings” category.

“Jiang” (醤) means a miso-like seasoning made by fermenting beans or grains. Besides doubanjiang, many seasonings have “jiang” in the name, such as tianmianjiang, douchi jiang, and gochujang.

Sichuan’s Pixian doubanjiang has its method set by a standard

“Pixian Douban,” made in Pixian (now Pidu District), Chengdu, Sichuan, China, is protected as a geographical indication (a system in which the state protects the name of a product whose quality is tied to its place of origin). The national standard GB/T 20560-2006 “Product of Geographical Indication: Pixian Douban” (issued September 18, 2006, in force February 1, 2007, by the then General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Standardization Administration) sets the place of origin, ingredients, and method.

The main contents of the standard are as follows.

(From the text of GB/T 20560-2006. The standard has Amendment No. 1, and its contents could not be confirmed this time)

• Papers also explain that Pixian doubanjiang is generally aged for 12 to 18 months, and longer ones for 24 months or more (from a study of umami peptides in doubanjiang made in Pixian). The sun-and-dew exposure (“shai lu”) is explained as producing a distinctive flavor, because day-night temperature changes affect the koji mold and enzymes
• “Pixian Douban” is also on the list of Chinese names protected under the geographical indications agreement between the EU and China, concluded in 2020 (in force March 1, 2021), as “Pixian Dou Ban (郫県豆瓣)”

Ingredients of doubanjiang sold in Japan and Taiwan

We lined up the ingredient lists of doubanjiang sold in Japan from the makers’ official pages and sales pages. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight (Food Labeling Standards).

(Youki Foods and S&B Foods were checked on the makers’ official pages on October 1, 2026. Pixian Doubanjiang is from the Rakuten Ichiba sales page, and Organic Doubanjiang is from the product label. These may change when products are revised)

What the table shows is as follows.

• A product made with only broad beans and chili peppers (plus salt and wheat flour) has the same combination as the Pixian standard. The Chinese-made Pixian Doubanjiang is an example. However, the sales page does not show whether it is a product certified under the geographical indication
• Doubanjiang from Japanese makers also includes one with only broad beans (Youki Foods) and one combining Chinese soybean miso, broad bean miso, and sugar (Lee Kum Kee). Youki Foods also has a commercial-use “Sichuan Doubanjiang (without beans)” that uses no beans
• The Taiwanese Organic Doubanjiang uses soybeans and wheat rather than broad beans, and also contains shiitake, kelp, and jiang (a fermented seasoning of soybeans and wheat). Because organic sugar comes first in the ingredient list, sugar is the largest ingredient by weight. The ingredients show that, though it has the same name “doubanjiang,” it is made as a sweet-tasting seasoning
• In Japan, there is no ingredient standard for doubanjiang (nothing like a JAS standard). The reliable way to know what is in it is to check the ingredient list on the back label (article on the rules for “additive-free” labeling)

Soybeans, wheat, and sugar are also summarized on the “soybeans,” “sugar,” and “spices” pages of the ingredient dictionary.

How it differs from other Chinese and Korean jiang

We compared seasonings with similar names using the food composition tables, dictionaries, and makers’ labels.

(The composition tables are the “Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th Revised Edition), 2023 Supplement.” The descriptions of gochujang and XO sauce are from Digital Daijisen, Nihon Daihyakka Zensho, Mypaedia, and others; the Codex adoption is from an announcement by Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

• Doubanjiang and gochujang are both fermented seasonings that use chili peppers, but doubanjiang is centered on beans (broad beans), while gochujang is centered on grains such as glutinous rice and is sweet
• Tianmianjiang is a sweet miso with no heat. It is used together with doubanjiang in mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork
• XO sauce is less a fermented seasoning than a seasoning of dried seafood and meat finished in oil
• The chili pepper’s pungent compound capsaicin is covered in the article on chili peppers and capsaicin

(Sources: MEXT, “Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th Revised Edition), 2023 Supplement”; GB/T 20560-2006)

Salt: about 1 g per teaspoon

In the food composition tables, “doubanjiang” has 7,000 mg of sodium and 17.8 g of salt equivalent per 100 g. The tables also give a conversion of “100 mL = 113 g,” so calculating from that gives the following.

• Salt varies by product. The label on Youki Foods’ Sichuan Doubanjiang says 13.5 g per 100 g. The Pixian standard sets a range for “edible salt” of 15 to 22 g per 100 g. The reliable way is to look at the nutrition facts on the product you buy
• The target for salt equivalent in the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 edition) for people aged 18 and over is less than 7.5 g a day for men and less than 6.5 g for women. One tablespoon of doubanjiang (about 3.0 g) is close to half of the target for women. Salt amounts are covered in detail in the article on salt intake
• In mapo tofu and similar dishes, soy sauce, tianmianjiang, chicken stock powder, and so on also carry salt in addition to doubanjiang. The salt of the whole dish has to be considered as the total of the recipe

One caution. The salt in doubanjiang is not only for taste; it also plays the role of keeping unwanted bacteria from growing during fermentation. As we will see later, research has reported that fermenting with less salt tends to increase histamine and the like. “Making a reduced-salt doubanjiang” is itself a research topic.

Mold toxin (aflatoxin): standards and violations

What is aflatoxin?

Aflatoxin is a toxin made by molds such as Aspergillus flavus (a mold toxin). There are types such as B1, B2, G1, and G2.

• IARC (the International Agency for Research on Cancer) classifies aflatoxin in Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans)
• In its 2009 evaluation, the Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) judged aflatoxin to be a genotoxic carcinogen (a type that damages genes, for which no “safe up to here” amount can be set). In most human studies, a link between aflatoxin B1 and liver cancer has been pointed out, and it has been suggested that the risk is higher with hepatitis B virus infection
• For that reason, no tolerable daily intake has been set, and intake from food “should be as low as reasonably achievable” (the 1997 evaluation by JECFA, the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, takes the same view)

Standards in Japan and China

Japan’s limit is “the sum of four types” and China’s is “B1 only,” so the numbers cannot be compared directly.

Why aflatoxin is an issue for doubanjiang

• Papers explain that traditional doubanjiang is fermented in open containers outdoors, so poor storage of the ingredients could expose it to contamination by aflatoxin-producing molds (a 2023 study on the safety of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts isolated from Sichuan doubanjiang)
• The chili pepper ingredient is also a target of mold toxin surveys. In a 2023 survey of 318 foods collected in Sichuan Province in 2022, aflatoxin was detected in 75.0% of chili powder, with B1 ranging from not detected up to 52.60 µg/kg. B1 exceeded China’s standard in 0.4% of all samples and the EU’s standard in 4.3%

Measured values

(Sources: MHLW notices and import violation cases, GB 2761-2017, GB/T 20560-2006, the table in the review by Nazhand et al. 2020, Zeng et al. 2022)

• In a study of commercial doubanjiang in China (summarized in a review table), aflatoxin B1 was detected in 34% (the table gives the percentage positive), with a mean of 4.78 µg/kg and a range of 1.26 to 16.41 µg/kg (measured with ELISA, a simple method)
• In another study that measured Pixian doubanjiang (2022), B1 in the sample was 3.4 µg/kg, below China’s standard of 5.0 µg/kg

Cases that violated the standard at import into Japan

The MHLW publishes foods that violated the Food Sanitation Act at import inspection as “Cases of Food Sanitation Act Violations in Imported Foods.” We obtained all of the published lists (Excel) from fiscal 2002 (Heisei 14) through September 2026 and searched for rows containing “豆板” (doubanban), “トウバン” (touban), and “豆瓣” (douban) (October 1, 2026).

• The aflatoxin violations in doubanjiang itself in this period were only two cases from one Taiwanese manufacturer in fiscal 2015. Both exceeded Japan’s standard of 10 µg/kg and were destroyed
• The others are cases in which a preservative (sorbic acid) was used in the doubanjiang ingredient of Chinese hot pot bases and similar products. In Japan, sorbic acid may be used only in set foods and amounts, and this use was outside them (for preservatives, see the article on preservatives; for sorbic acid, see the additives database)
• Violation cases are records of specific imported lots found in inspection, and the list does not show product names (brands). Also, inspection does not cover every import, so “fewer violations” does not mean “no contamination”

Biogenic amines such as histamine produced by fermentation

What are biogenic amines?

“Biogenic amines” such as histamine, tyramine, and putrescine are substances made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein, by the action of bacterial enzymes. Fermented foods contain them to some degree.

• In Japan, histamine is an issue mainly in red-fleshed fish such as tuna and their processed products. If fish is left at room temperature, bacteria make histamine, and eating it causes allergy-like symptoms such as hives (histamine food poisoning). Once formed, histamine is not broken down by ordinary cooking (from FSCJ materials)
• In its 2011 opinion, the EU’s EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), working from limited data, said that 50 mg of histamine per meal showed no adverse health effects in healthy people. For people with histamine intolerance, it said the amount should be kept below detectable levels. For tyramine, it gave 600 mg per meal for healthy people, and 50 mg or 6 mg for people taking drugs called MAO inhibitors
• A 2024 review of biogenic amines says that sensitivity differs from person to person, and that alcohol and some medicines also change the effects

Values measured in doubanjiang

• Calculating from the median histamine in the 406-product survey (22.794 mg/kg), 1 tablespoon of doubanjiang (about 17 g) has about 0.4 mg of histamine. That is roughly 1/130 of the 50 mg per meal at which EFSA saw no adverse effects in healthy people (this is only a calculation from the median, and the values for individual products are not known)
• The reduced-salt fermentation trials all used samples made in the laboratory, not values from commercial products. Still, several studies point in the same direction: fermenting with less salt tends to increase biogenic amines. Researchers are looking at methods that suppress biogenic amines by adding lactic acid bacteria and the like as starters (the seed for fermentation)
• Within the scope we checked, we found no studies that followed the health of people who ate doubanjiang (human observational studies or trials). What is written here comes from studies that measured food components and from fermentation trials

Summary

Here is a recap of the items introduced.

(Checked on the Rakuten Ichiba sales pages on October 1, 2026. Prices and shipping may change.)

“Authentic doubanjiang is made from broad beans and chili peppers” is a fact according to the standard for Sichuan’s Pixian douban. On the other hand, doubanjiang sold in Japan and Taiwan includes products that use soybeans or sugar, so the ingredients vary even under the same name. Depending on whether you put the most weight on heat, sweetness, or salt, the reliable way to choose is to look at the ingredient list and nutrition facts on the back label.

Sources

• MEXT, “Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th Revised Edition), 2023 Supplement,” Chapter 2 Main Tables (Excel) https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/syokuhinseibun/mext_00001.html
• General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and Standardization Administration, “GB/T 20560-2006 Product of Geographical Indication: Pixian Douban” (2006), excerpt of the text http://www.jin001.cn/tiaoweipin/738.html , bibliographic record http://down.foodmate.net/standard/sort/3/11431.html
• Agreement between the European Union and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications. Official Journal of the European Union L 407 (December 3, 2020) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:22020A1203(01)
• China national food safety standard “GB 2761-2017 Maximum Levels of Mycotoxins in Foods” (2017), provision database of Foodmate http://2761.foodmate.net/
• MHLW, “On the Handling of Aflatoxin M1 in Milk” (Shokuan-hatsu 0723 No. 1, 2015; it records the content of Shokuan-hatsu 0331 No. 5 of 2011) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-11130500-Shokuhinanzenbu/20150723-1.pdf
• Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council, Food Sanitation Subcommittee material, “Deliberation process for setting component standards for aflatoxin in food” (2009) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/shingi/2009/06/dl/s0602-3a.pdf
• MHLW, “Cases of Food Sanitation Act Violations in Imported Foods” (fiscal 2002 through September 2026) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/yunyu_kanshi/ihan/index.html , https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000158961.html
• Food Safety Commission of Japan, 35th Planning Subcommittee material, “Histamine” (2010) https://www.fsc.go.jp/sonota/hazard/hyoka_62.pdf
• EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards (2011) Scientific Opinion on risk based control of biogenic amine formation in fermented foods. EFSA Journal 9(10):2393 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2393
• Japan Foundation for Aging and Health, Kenko Choju Net, “Functions of sodium (salt) and the daily intake” (target values in the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, 2025 edition) https://www.tyojyu.or.jp/net/kenkou-tyoju/eiyouso/mineral-na.html
• Youki Foods, “Sichuan Doubanjiang 130 g” https://youki.co.jp/goods/goods-detail/?386
• S&B Foods, “Lee Kum Kee Doubanjiang 90 g” and “Lee Kum Kee Tianmianjiang” https://www.sbfoods.co.jp/products/detail/11384.html https://www.sbfoods.co.jp/products/detail/11395.html
• Kaze to Hikari, “New release: Organic Taiwanese Chinese seasonings” (2024) https://kazetohikari.jp/2024/08/09/%ef%bc%bc%e6%96%b0%e7%99%ba%e5%a3%b2%ef%bc%8f%e3%80%80%e3%82%aa%e3%83%bc%e3%82%ac%e3%83%8b%e3%83%83%e3%82%af%e5%8f%b0%e6%b9%be%e4%b8%ad%e8%8f%af%e8%aa%bf%e5%91%b3%e6%96%99/
• Kotobank, “XO sauce” and “Gochujang” (Digital Daijisen, Nihon Daihyakka Zensho, Mypaedia, and others) https://kotobank.jp/word/XO%E9%86%A4-445209 https://kotobank.jp/word/コチュジャン
• Korea Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, “Spiciness of Korean Food, in Global Standards” https://www.mafra.go.kr/bbs/english/25/325621/artclView.do
• Nazhand A et al. (2020) Characteristics, Occurrence, Detection and Detoxification of Aflatoxins in Foods and Feeds. Foods. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32443392/
• Zeng et al. (2022) Determination of aflatoxin B1 in Pixian Douban based on aptamer magnetic solid-phase extraction. RSC Adv. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35865604/
• Zhao et al. (2023) Food aflatoxin exposure assessment in Sichuan Province, China. Mycotoxin Res. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37322297/
• Feng et al. (2023) Safety evaluation and application of lactic acid bacteria and yeast strains isolated from Sichuan broad bean paste. Food Sci Nutr. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36789042/
• Wen et al. (2026) Risk assessment of heavy metals and biogenic amines in branded versus non-branded Pixian Doubanjiang. J Hazard Mater. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42001752/
• Liu C et al. (2021) Evaluation and prediction of the biogenic amines in Chinese traditional broad bean paste. J Food Sci Technol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34194109/
• Liao et al. (2026) Insights into the salt-dependent mechanisms of physicochemical changes, microbial succession, and biogenic amine formation during Doubanjiang fermentation. Food Chem. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42034087/
• Yang et al. (2021) Physicochemical, flavor and microbial dynamic changes during low-salt doubanjiang (broad bean paste) fermentation. Food Chem. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33652296/
• Enhancement of Quality and Safety of Low-Salt Pixian Douban Fermentation with Paenibacillus polymyxa M17 27-6 (2025). Foods. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41464907/
• Discovery and Validation of Novel Umami Peptides from Traditional Broad Bean Paste (Doubanjiang). Foods (MDPI)
• Saha et al. (2024) A review of biogenic amines in fermented foods: Occurrence and health effects. Heliyon. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38304783/
• Rakuten Ichiba sales pages for “Organic Doubanjiang” from オーガニック 健康生活 むぎごころ, “Pixian Doubanjiang” from 横浜中華街・耀盛號, and “Measuring Spoon Set of 3 CC-1045” from the Pearl Metal official online store (checked October 1, 2026)