Unopened soy sauce is shelf stable and can be kept in a cool，dark place.

One opened, soy sauce should be kept in the refrigerator for optimum flavor.

The high salt content of most soy sauce will prevent dangerous microorganisms from proliferating at room temperature,but the dedicate flavor compounds produced during the fermentation process are protected under refrigerated conditions.

Low -quality soy sauces are less likely to have a noticeable degradation in flavor at room temperature.