Assessment of Salt (Sodium Chloride) Content in Traditional and Industrial Breads in Tehran-2016

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, reducing sodium intake is one of the most important goals of global and national programs for decreasing of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease and salt is the most important source of sodium intake in the diet. Bread has remained one of the staple food in many cultures and societies in different parts of the world. Despite key roles of breads in Iranian food consumption patterns, a little information is available on salt (sodium chloride) intake in traditional and industrial breads. The aim of the current study was to determine the salt content in traditional, volume and semi-volume breads in Tehran, Iran in 2016.  Materials & Methods: In this study, 151 samples including traditional and industrial breads were collected randomly from various bakeries and markets of Tehran. Salt content (sodium chloride) in traditional (Sangak, Barbari, Taftoun and Lavash) and industrial (Volume and semi-volume) breads was investigated according to Volhard method of National Standard. Results: The mean salt in traditional breads of sangak, barbari, taftoun and lavash included 0.41±0.37, 1.43±0.40, 1.07±0.31 and 1.14±0.45 gr/100 g, respectively. This value for volume and semi-volume breads included 1.39 g/100 ±0.58. Nearly 93 %, 21%, 38 % and 43% of the salt content of Sangak, Barbari, Lavash and Taftoon respectively included in the national salt limit were found to be compliant. Conclusion: Considering the per capita intake of different types of bread in Tehran, the salt intake of Sangak, Lavash, Berberi, Taftoon and Volume and semi-volume breads were 0.13, 0.54, 0.56, 0.36 and 0.12 g/day respectively. Keywords: Salt, Sodium chloride, Bread, Iran, Dietary intake