Sodium in different processed and packaged foods: Method validation and an estimative on the consumption

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Public Health Nutrition

Background:

• Excessive sodium (Na) intake is linked to hypertension, cardiovascular, and renal diseases.
• The global food industry is actively working to decrease sodium levels in processed foods.
• Accurate sodium quantification in foods is crucial for public health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate an analytical method for quantifying sodium in processed and packaged foods.
• To assess sodium content in various processed food products.
• To estimate potential sodium intake from consumption of these foods.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated wet and dry ash mineralization techniques for sample preparation.
• Optimized conditions using Cesium Chloride (CsCl) for Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (FAAS).
• Validated the chosen method (wet digestion with 0.1% CsCl) and applied it to 12 diverse food matrices.

Main Results:

• Identified sausage, hamburger, ham, bread, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and mashed potato as high-sodium foods (>460 mg/100g).
• Found 68% of samples had high sodium content, with mashed potato reaching 2851 mg/100g.
• Observed discrepancies in 38% of samples between declared and actual sodium content, and potential for exceeding daily intake recommendations through combined meal consumption.

Conclusions:

• The validated FAAS method is simple, cost-effective, and suitable for sodium analysis in processed foods.
• A majority of processed and packaged foods contain high sodium levels, indicating a persistent public health concern.
• Discrepancies in labeling and high sodium content underscore the need for continued monitoring and regulatory attention.