Sealord Tuna Pockets - Lemon, sesame and ginger Photo / Sealord
A reader asked me to look at these because she loves them, but worries that they are not healthy.
Flavoured tuna is very popular at the moment, as anyone knows who has recently tried to find a plain tin of tuna in oil on the crowded shelves.
These pockets are easy to take to work or pour over a plate of green salad or pasta for a quick meal.
Ingredients (in order of greatest quantity first):
Tuna (50 per cent)
It might come as a bit of a surprise for tuna lovers to know that only half of this packet is actually tuna.
Other flavoured tuna in cans run to about 62 per cent tuna. I recently discovered a John West brand of "no drain" tuna which is 93 per cent tuna, which at $3.39 for 130g gives you 120g of tuna as opposed to 55g of tuna in this pouch.
This tuna is caught without aggregating devices, which are floating objects designed to attract fish which are strategically placed in the ocean.
Sealord states that it is committed to tuna sustainability on the packet.
Soybean oil
I prefer olive oil with my tuna but soybean is 61 per cent polyunsaturated and 24 per cent monounsaturated fat, according to the National Soybean Research Laboratory.
It is also a rich source of essential fatty acids that help to regulate blood pressure and cell proliferation.
Water
Ginger (6 per cent)
This will most likely be root ginger for flavour
Red capsicum
Sugar
This is not a high sugar product, with just 3.4g of sugar per pouch.
Maltodextrin
This is a white powder made from corn, rice, potato starch, wheat and also tapioca. It is made by cooking the starch then adding acids or enzymes to break it down. The result is a white powder which is water-soluble and has a neutral taste. It can be used as a thickener, a filler and a preservative in processed foods
Lemon peel (2 per cent)
Coriander (2 per cent)
Salt
You'll get 663mg of sodium per pouch. It doesn't taste too salty.
Soy sauce powder
This is dehydrated soy sauce in here for flavouring.
Sesame seeds (1 per cent)
You can clearly see sesame seeds in the mix.
Vegetable broth
This will be in here for flavour
Flavouring
Unfortunately this seems to be an artificial flavour as there is no mention of it being natural.
Hydrolysed vegetable protein (soy)
This is a common filler in processed foods and it can also contribute to the flavour.
Acidity regulators (330,262)
These are citric acid (330) and sodium acetate (262). They may be in here as preservatives as well as acidity regulators.
Garlic
Sesame seed oil
Colours (caramel, paprika)
Paprika is a natural colour but caramel is created by burning sugars sometimes with sulphite, ammonia or both. Most ingredients lists will tell you which by including the code 150a,b,c or d.
Herb
There is definitely something green and leafy in the mix, but not sure what.
Yeast extract
This will provide a meaty taste.
Spice
If you want tuna, then buy a tin of tuna and use that instead.
I see that this is an easy way to get a bit of flavour with your tuna but when the additives take up half of the packet then is it really worth it?
For my money I would buy a tin of plain tuna, put it in a bowl then stir in some lemon juice, some grated fresh ginger, a dash of sesame oil and some sesame seeds and be done with it.
• Only 50 per cent tuna in this pouch.
• Uses artificial flavouring.
• Uses caramel as a colour.
Let’s take a look at the science.