title: Salt Content in Ready-to-Eat Food and Bottled Spring and Mineral Water Retailed in Novi Sad.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Salt intake above 5 g/person/day is a strong independent risk factor for hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Published studies indicate that the main source of salt in human diet is processed ready-to-eat food, contributing with 65-85% to daily salt intake.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to present data on salt content of ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad, Serbia, and contribution of the salt contained in 100 g of food to the recommended daily intake of salt for healthy and persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 1,069 samples of ready-to-eat food, salt (sodium chloride) content was calculated based on chloride ion determined by titrimetric method, while in 54 samples of bottled water sodium content was determined using flame-photometry. Food items in each food group were categorized as low, medium or high salt. Average salt content of each food group was expressed as a percentage of recommended daily intake for healthy and for persons with CVD risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average salt content (g/100 g) ranged from 0.36 ± 0.48 (breakfast cereals) to 2.32 ± 1.02 (grilled meat). The vast majority of the samples of sandwiches (91.7%), pizza (80.7%), salami (73.9%), sausages (72.9%), grilled meat (70.0%) and hard cheese (69.6%) had a high salt profile. Average amount of salt contained in 100 g of food participated with levels ranging from 7.2% (breakfast cereals) to 46.4% (grilled meat) and from 9.6% to 61.8% in the recommended daily intake for healthy adult and person with CVD risk, respectively. Average sodium content in 100 ml of bottled spring and mineral water was 0.33 ± 0.30 mg and 33 ± 44 mg, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ready-to-eat food retailed in Novi Sad has high hidden salt content, which could be considered as an important contributor to relatively high salt consumption of its inhabitants.
authors.forename: Ljiljana B Trajković
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Paplović
authors.forename: Milka B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Popović
authors.forename: Sanja V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Bijelović
authors.forename: Radmila S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Velicki
authors.forename: Ljilja D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Torović
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005504:Food Analysis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control; D008900:Mineral Waters / Q000032:analysis*; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D012307:Risk Factors; D055771:Serbia; D012964:Sodium / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000032:analysis; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D008900:Mineral Waters; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D012964:Sodium