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Salt from ancient Greek "άλς" (sea) is a ), refined salt ( Table Salt ), and Iodized Salt . It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light grey in color, normally obtained from Sea Water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly greyish in color due to this mineral content. Sodium and chlorine, the two components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all living creatures, including humans, but they need not be consumed as salt, where they are found together in very concentrated form. Some isolated cultures, such as the , 2007 ) Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body. Salt Flavor is one of the Basic Taste s. Salt cravings may be caused by trace mineral deficiencies as well as by a deficiency of sodium chloride itself. Overconsumption of salt can increase the risk of health problems, including High Blood Pressure . In food preparation, salt is used as a Preservative and as a Seasoning . HISTORY : ''See main article: History Of Salt '' At the dawn of civilization, salt's preservative ability eliminated dependency on the seasonal availability of food, allowed travel over long distances, and was a vital food additive. However, because salt (NaCl) was difficult to obtain, it became a highly valued trade item throughout history. Until the 1900s , salt was one of the prime movers of national economies and wars. Salt was often Tax ed; research has discovered this practice to have existed as early as the 20th century BC in China . By the Middle Ages , Caravan s consisting of as many as forty thousand Camel s traversed four hundred miles of the Sahara bearing salt, sometimes trading it for Slaves . The first registers of salt use were produced around in marriage until the 8th Century . From the Phoenicians dates the evidence of harvesting solid salt from the sea. They also exported it to other civilizations. As a result of the increased salt supply from the sea, the value of salt depreciated. The harvest method used was flooding plains of land with seawater, then leaving the plains to dry. After the water dried, the salt which was left was collected and sold. In the , 2007 ) During his protests in India , Mohandas Gandhi performed the famous Salt March to challenge the British -imposed monopoly on salt. IN RELIGION Among the ancients, as with ourselves, " Sol " (sun) and " Sal " (salt) were considered essential to the maintenance of life. There are thirty-five references (verses) to salt in the destroyed the city of Shechem , held to have occurred in the thirteenth century BCE., he is said to have "sowed salt on it," this phrase expressing the completeness of its ruin. (Judges 9:45.) In the native Japanese religion Shinto , salt is used for ritual purification of locations and people, such as in Sumo Wrestling . In Aztec mythology, Huixtocihuatl was a fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water. FORMS OF SALT Unrefined salt See Also: Sea salt Halite Fleur de sel Different natural salts have different mineralities, giving each one a unique flavor. Fleur De Sel , natural sea salt harvested by hand, has a unique flavor varying from region to region. Some assert that unrefined sea salt is more healthy than refined salts.http://www.gomanzanillo.com/features/salt/index.htm However, completely raw sea salt is bitter due to magnesium and calcium compounds, and thus is rarely eaten. Other people think that raw sea and rock salts do not contain sufficient Iodine salts to prevent iodine deficiency diseases like Hypothyroidism .http://www.saltinstitute.org/iodine-seasalt.html Refined salt in Alexandria , Egypt ]] Refined salt, which is most widely used presently, is mainly sodium chloride. Food grade salt accounts for only a small part of salt production in industrialised countries (3% in EuropeEuropean Salt Producers' Association http://www.eu-salt.com/index3.htm) although world-wide, food uses account for 17.5% of salt productionRoskill Information Services http://www.roskill.com/reports/salt. The majority is sold for industrial use, from manufacturing pulp and paper to setting dyes in textiles and fabric, to producing soaps and detergents, and has great commercial value. . Salt is harvested in the traditional method.]] The manufacture and use of salt is one of the oldest chemical industries.http://www.salt.org.il/arch.html Salt is also obtained by evaporation of conventionally or through the injection of water. Injected water dissolves the salt, and the Brine solution can be pumped to the surface where the salt is collected. After the raw salt is obtained, it is refined to purify it and improve its storage and handling characteristics. Purification usually involves recrystallization. In recrystallization, a brine solution is treated with chemicals that precipitate most impurities (largely magnesium and calcium salts).http://www.saltsense.co.uk/aboutsalt-prod02.htm Multiple stages of evaporation are then used to collect pure sodium chloride crystals, which are Kiln -dried. Since the 1950's it has been common to add a trace of sodium hexacyanoferrate II to the brine, this acts as an s (and Potassium Iodide , for iodised salt) are generally added after crystallization. These agents are Hygroscopic chemicals which absorb Humidity , keeping the salt crystals from sticking together. Some anticaking agents used are Tricalcium Phosphate , Calcium or Magnesium Carbonate s, Fatty Acid salts ( Acid Salt s), Magnesium Oxide , Silicon Dioxide , Calcium Silicate , sodium alumino-silicate, and alumino-calcium Silicate . Concerns have been raised regarding the possible toxic effects of Aluminium in the latter two compounds, however both the European Union and the United States Food And Drug Administration (FDA) permit their use. http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/HE/HE-625.html The refined salt is then ready for packing and distribution. Table salt Table salt is refined salt, 99% in salt shakers to absorb extra moisture when anticaking agents are not enough. Iodized salt See Also: History of iodised salt Iodized salt ( mixed with a minute amount of Sodium Iodide , Iodate , or sometimes Potassium Iodide , is used to help reduce the chance of Iodine Deficiency in humans. Iodine deficiency commonly leads to Thyroid gland problems, specifically endemic Goiter . Endemic goiter is a disease characterized by a swelling of the thyroid gland, usually resulting in a bulbous protrusion on the neck. While only tiny quantities of iodine are required in a Diet to prevent goiter, the United States Food And Drug Administration recommends (21 CFR 101.9 (c)(8)(iv)) 150 micro Gram mes of iodine per day for both men and women, and there are many places around the world where natural levels of iodine in the Soil are low and the iodine is not taken up by vegetables. Today, iodized salt is more common in the United States , Australia and New Zealand than in Britain . Table salt is also often iodized—a small amount of ), which can cause Goitre , Cretinism in children, and Myxedema in adults. Fluorinated salt In some European countries where women is Folic Acid (B vitamin) giving the table salt a yellow color. Salty condiments In many Asian cultures, table salt is not traditionally used as a condiment.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2001/0729/taste.htmlHowever, condiments such as Soy Sauce , Fish Sauce and Oyster Sauce tend to have a high salt content and fill much the same role as a salt-providing table condiment that table salt serves in western cultures. HEALTH EFFECTS Sodium is one of the primary . Salt is even sometimes used as a health aid, such as in treatment of Dysautonomia . Cleveland Clinic Health Information Center Dysautonomia page People's risk for disease due to insufficient or excessive salt intake varies due to biochemical individuality. Some have asserted that while the risks of consuming too much salt are real, the risks have been exaggerated for most people, or that the studies done on the consumption of salt can be interpreted in many different ways.Why Files article Salt and other wounds Gary Taubes, "The (Political) Science of Salt" , ''Science'', 14 August 1998, Vol. 281. no. 5379, pp. 898 - 907 Excess salt consumption has been linked to:
A large scale study by Nancy Cook ''et al'' shows that people with high-normal blood pressure who significantly reduced the amount of salt in their diet decreased their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by 25% over the following 10 to 15 years. Their risk of '''dying''' from cardiovascular disease decreased by 20%. BBC News [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6570933.stm Cutting salt 'reduces heart risk' 19 April 2007 Eating less salt could prevent cardiovascular disease RECOMMENDED INTAKE This section summarizes the salt intake recommended by the health agencies of various countries. Recommendations tend to be similar. Note that targets for the population as a whole tend to be pragmatic (what is achievable) while advice for an individual is ideal (what is best for health). For example, in the UK target for the population is "eat no more than 6 g a day" but for a person is 4 g. Intakes can be expressed variously as salt or sodium and in various units.
''' (SACN) recommended that, for a typical adult, the Reference Nutrient Intake is 4 g salt per day (1.6 g or 70 mmol sodium). However, average adult intake is two and a half times the Reference Nutrient Intake for sodium. "Although accurate data are not available for children, conservative estimates indicate that, on a body weight basis, the average salt intake of children is higher than that of adults." SACN aimed for an achievable target reduction in average intake of salt to 6 g per day (2.4 g or 100 mmol sodium) — this is roughly equivalent to a teaspoonful of salt. The SACN recommendations for children are:
SACN states, "The target salt intakes set for adults and children do not represent ideal or optimum consumption levels, but achievable population goals." Republic Of Ireland : The Food Safety Authority of Ireland endorses the UK targets "emphasising that the RDA of 1.6 g sodium (4 g salt) per day should form the basis of advice targeted at individuals as distinct from the population health target of a mean salt intake of 6 g per day."(, p16) Canada : Health Canada recommends an Adequate Intake (AI) and an Upper Limit (UL) in terms of '''sodium'''.
New Zealand
Australia : The recommended dietary intake (RDI) is 0.92 g–2.3 g sodium per day (= 2.3 g–5.8 g salt)Better Health Channel (Australia, Victoria) Salt USA : The Food and Drug Administration itself does not make a recommendationU. S. Food and Drug Administration A Pinch of Controversy Shakes Up Dietary Salt but refers readers to ''Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005''. These suggest that US citizens should consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium (= 2.3 g sodium = 5.8 g salt) per day. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) ''Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005'' "Sodium and Potassium" LABELING UK: The Food Standards Agency defines the level of salt in foods as follows: "High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium). Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium). If the amount of salt per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of salt." In the UK, foods produced by some supermarkets and manufacturers have ‘traffic light’ colors on the front of the pack: Red (High), Amber (Medium), or Green (Low). Understanding labels USA: The FDA ''Food Labeling Guide'' stipulates whether a food can be labelled as "free", "low", or "reduced/less" in respect of sodium. When other health claims are made about a food (e.g. low in fat, calories, etc.), a disclosure statement is required if the food exceeds 480mg of sodium per 'serving.'Food and Drug Administration A Food Labeling Guide--Appendix A CAMPAIGNS In 2004, Britain's . Salt TV ads The Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania, Australia, maintains a website Salt Matters dedicated to educating people about the potential problems of a salt-laden diet. SALT SUBSTITUTES See Also: Salt substitute Salt intake can be reduced by simply reducing the quantity of salty foods in a diet, without recourse to salt substitutes. Salt substitutes have a taste similar to table salt and contain mostly , Triamterene , Dytac, Spironolactone , Aldactone , Eplerenone and Inspra . PRODUCTION TRENDS Salt is produced by Evaporation of Seawater or Brine from other sources, such as brine wells and Salt Lake s, and by Mining rock salt, called Halite . In 2002, total world production was estimated at 210 million metric tonnes, the top five producers being the United States (40.3 million tonnes), China (32.9), Germany (17.7), India (14.5), and Canada (12.3).Susan R. Feldman. Sodium chloride. ''Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology''. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published online '''2005'''. Note that these figures are not just for table salt but for sodium chloride in general. SEE ALSO
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
Salt and health ;Government bodies Many other government bodies are listed in the References section above.
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