explanation of Edible salt :
Salt is essential to the health of humans and other animals. NaCl is one of the five basic taste sensations. Sodium chloride is used in many cuisines around the world, and it is often found in salt shakers on diners’ eating tables for their personal use on food. Salt is also an ingredient in many manufactured foodstuffs. Table salt is a refined salt containing about 97 to 99 percent sodium chloride.
Fortified table salt
Some table salt sold for consumption contains additives which address a variety of health concerns, especially in the developing world. The identities and amounts of additives vary widely from country to country.
Iodine is an:
- important micro-nutrient for humans
- a deficiency of the element can cause lowered production of Thyroxine. (hypothyroidism)
- enlargement of the thyroid gland (endemic goiter) in adults or cretinism in children.
So, Iodine deficiency affects about two billion people around the world and is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation.
the amount of iodine and the specific iodine compound added to salt varies from country to country. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends [21 CFR 101.9 (c)(8)(iv)] 150 micro grams of iodine per day for both men and women.
Finally Other anti caking agents sometimes used include calcium phosphate, calcium or magnesium carbonates, fatty acid salts (acid salts), magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate and calcium aluminosilicate.
therefore The latter alleviates iron deficiency anemia, which interferes with the mental development of an estimated 40% of infants in the developing world. A typical iron source is ferrous fumarate. Another additive, especially important for pregnant women, is folic acid (vitamin B9), which gives the table salt a yellow color. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects and anemia, which affect young mothers, especially in developing countries.
