Table+Salt



In [|Western cuisines], salt is used in cooking, and also made available to diners in [|salt shakers] on the table. Table salt is refined salt, which contains about 97% to 99% [|sodium chloride]. [|[25]] [|[26]] [|[27]] It usually contains substances that make it free-flowing (anticaking agents) such as [|sodium silicoaluminate] or magnesium carbonate. Some people also add a [|desiccant], such as a few grains of uncooked [|rice] , [|[28]] or a [|saltine cracker] [|[29]] in salt shakers to absorb extra moisture and help break up clumps when anticaking agents are not enough. Table salt has a [|particle density] of 2.165 g/cm3, and a [|bulk density] (dry, [|ASTM] D 632 gradation) of about 1.154 g/cm3. [|[30]]

Additives in table salt
Most table salt sold for consumption contains a variety of additives, which address a variety of health concerns, especially in the developing world. The amounts of additives vary widely from country to country.

Iodine and iodide
Main article: [|Iodized salt] Iodine-containing compounds are added to table salt. //Iodized salt// is thus table salt mixed with a minute amount of [|potassium iodide], [|sodium iodide] , or [|sodium iodate]. A small amount of [|dextrose] may also be added to stabilize the iodine. [|[31]] Iodized salt is used to help reduce the incidence of [|iodine deficiency] in humans. Iodine deficiency affects about two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of [|mental retardation]. [|[32]] The practice began in 1924. [|[33]] Iodine deficiency commonly leads to [|thyroid] gland problems, specifically endemic [|goiter], a disease characterized by a swelling of the thyroid gland, usually resulting in a bulbous protrusion on the neck. Iodized table salt has significantly reduced disorders of iodine deficiency in countries where it is used. [|[34]] Iodine is important to prevent the insufficient production of [|thyroid hormones] ( [|hypothyroidism] ), which can cause goiter, [|cretinism] in children, and [|myxedema] in adults. 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] recommends [21 CFR 101.9 (c)(8)(iv)] 150 [|micrograms] of iodine per day for both men and women. US iodized salt contains 46–77 ppm (parts per million), whereas in the UK the iodine content of iodized salt is recommended to be 10–22 ppm. [|[35]] Today, iodized salt is more common in the United States, Australia and New Zealand than in the United Kingdom.

Fluoride
Especially in countries that have not benefited from fluoridated toothpastes and fluoridated water, [|fluoride] salts are added to table salt. The practice is more common in some European countries, where [|water fluoridation] is not practiced. In France, 35% of sold table salt contains [|sodium fluoride]. [|[36]]

Anti-caking agents
[|Sodium ferrocyanide], also known as yellow prussiate of soda, is sometimes added to salt as an anticaking agent. The additive is considered safe for human consumption. [|[37]] [|[38]] Such anti-caking agents have been added since at least 1911 when [|magnesium carbonate] was first added to salt to make it flow more freely. [|[39]] [|[40]] The safety of sodium ferrocyanide as a food additive was found to be provisionally acceptable by the [|Committee on Toxicity] in 1988. [|[37]] Some other anticaking agents include [|tricalcium phosphate], [|calcium] or [|magnesium carbonates] , [|fatty acid] salts ( [|acid salts] ), [|magnesium oxide] , [|silicon dioxide] , [|calcium silicate] , [|sodium aluminosilicate] , and [|calcium aluminosilicate]. Both the European Union and the United States [|Food and Drug Administration] (FDA) permitted the use of [|aluminum] in the latter two compounds. [|[41]]

Iron
In "doubly fortified salt", both iodide and iron salts are added. This additive 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]. [|[36]]

Other additives
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] (NTDs) and anemia, which affect young mothers, especially in developing countries. [|[36]] In Canada, at least one brand ( [|Windsor Salt] ) contains [|inverted sugar syrup] .[// [|citation needed] //]