Quality assessment of refined table salts and locally processed unrefined salts consumed in Nasarawa State (north-central Nigeria).

Background and objective: Table salt is an ideal vehicle for the delivery of micronutrients. This study assessed the quality of refined salts and locally processed salts in Awe and Keana local government areas, Nasarawa state, Nigeria. Materials and methods: Forty-five samples were collected from local markets in Nasarawa state. Moisture content, water-insoluble matter, and acid-insoluble matter were determined according to the AOAC method. Sodium chloride and iodine contents were determined by titration. The concentration of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium was determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results and conclusion: Moisture content of the refined and unrefined salts ranged from 0.060 to 0.133% and 0.599 to 2.574%, respectively. The moisture content and amounts of water-insoluble and acid-insoluble matters in the unrefined salts were higher than the refined salts. The concentration of sodium chloride in most of the unrefined salts did not meet the national minimum limit of 97%. The concentration of iodine, calcium, potassium, and magnesium in the refined salts was significantly higher than the unrefined samples. Iodine content in the refined and unrefined salts ranged from 22.22 to 40.20 mg/kg and below the detection limit of 6.35 mg/kg, respectively. None of the unrefined salts met the minimum iodine content of 30 mg/kg. We concluded that the locally processed salts available in Awe and Keana local markets were highly deficient in essential elements and were of poor quality for use as table salt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]