INVESTIGATION OF IODINE STABILITY IN SALT DURING DIFFERENT PROCESSING TECHNIQUES AND SPECIFIC TIME INTERVAL

Abstract

Iodine is a key regulator of the body’s basic metabolic activity and insufficiency of this micronutrient can lead to physical and mental disorder in both adults and children. The main focus of the present study was assessment of iodine in branded iodized salts by applying different processing techniques and specific time interval. In total, 5 salt samples from the market were analyzed and the experiment was done with strict controlled environment in well setup laboratory. The study showed determination of iodine availability and iodine stability of these iodized salts at different conditions. Both titrimetric method and UV-spectrophotometric method were used to determine the iodine concentration in these salt samples. Results revealed that almost all of the salt samples have given positive results of iodine availability. Iodine stability was reduced at the percentage of 7.15%, 8.47%, 9.75%,16.44% and18.04% in normal atmospheric condition whereas in case of boiling, the percentage was 12.95%,13.77% 19.07%, 22.32% and 24.54% for Branded Salt F (BSF), Brand A, Brand Q, Brand C, Brand N respectively after 1st week of opening. However, study findings revealed that during boiling minimum amount of iodine is observed in Brand C and Brand N in last 2 weeks. After keeping the salt samples in environment for third and fourth weeks, Brand F showed greater iodine stability and Brand N iodized salt showed less stability. The study also indicated that iodine loss was maximum during boiling as iodine was exposed to high temperature. On the other hand, loss of iodine was minimum in case of normal atmospheric condition. So, the results depict the loss of iodine after boiling that is why iodized salt should be added after cooking is finished to avoid the loss of iodine. Finally, it is recommended that emergency initiatives should be taken by the government and its related organizations or authority to develop specific awareness on iodine availability and stability of iodized salts.