Determinación de la cantidad de cloruro de sodio en maní tostado y evaluación de la etiqueta nutricional

Abstract

The increase in the consumption of energy-dense foods with a high sodium content has caused several countries such as Ecuador to experience an increase in the development of chronic non-communicable diseases, becoming an important public health problem. Sodium is a critical nutrient whose consumption in adequate amounts favors the body's functions; however, in excessive amounts it can cause arterial hypertension and cardiovascular alterations. This work determined the concentration of sodium chloride and sodium in six roasted and salted peanut products by Mohr's method and compared the concentrations obtained experimentally with the concentrations reported on the nutritional label. It was determined that there are differences in the sodium content reported on the nutrition label and the value obtained experimentally for all brands (p < 0.001). In addition, it was determined that there are differences in sodium concentration between batches for each of the six brands of roasted and salted peanuts (p < 0.001). It is necessary to carry out periodic and more rigorous evaluations to obtain reliable results that show consumers the real amount of sodium they ingest and allow them to make better decisions about the foods they consume.