Why can't iodized salt be preserved. Preservation Salt Selection

If you are not lucky enough to be a resident of the sea coast, you can be one hundred percent sure that you live in conditions of iodine deficiency. There are fewer and fewer natural products in the diet of a modern person, so it is almost impossible to satisfy the body's need for iodine in a natural way.

The main consequence of the deficiency is not problems with the thyroid gland, digestive system, hormonal disorders, but a significant decrease in the intellectual abilities and working capacity of a person. The use of iodized salt can reduce the severity of the problem.

Why is salt chosen for the introduction of iodine? Its consumption is constant and predictable. This is the most affordable product for both individual and mass prevention of iodine deficiency.

What kind of animal is iodized salt?

Edible iodized salt is a variety of ordinary table salt enriched with iodine compounds. As a rule, these are compounds of sodium or potassium. Currently, potassium iodate is used as an additive. This substance is non-toxic and stable. Losses of iodine as a result of long-term storage and heating are negligible. When buying an enriched product, you should focus on the name of the additive and on the expiration date.

Potassium iodate is present in the product in such a concentration that it cannot harm the body under any circumstances. At the same time, it satisfies the daily requirement of an adult for iodine, which is 150 mcg.

Iodized salt is odorless. Its taste is indistinguishable from the taste of ordinary table salt.

Myths and reality

Iodized salt is not a new product. In most European countries, it has long been widely used in food production, in some countries this practice is even enshrined in law. But people are wary of the possibility of using this product in everyday life. There are many myths associated with its use. Let's try to debunk them.

• Myth No. 1. The use of iodized salt must be controlled in order to avoid an overdose of iodine.

  The concentration of iodine is such that in order to exceed its daily requirement, one would have to eat 50 g of salt. It's unrealistic.

• Myth number 2. When heated, iodine completely evaporates, so this seasoning is not suitable for hot dishes.

  If so, then the opponents of iodine have nothing to fear. With strong heating, only 10% of this trace element is lost. Therefore, the use of the product is still justified.

• Myth #3: When using iodized salt, canned vegetables darken and acquire an unpleasant odor.

  Previously, potassium iodide was used as an additive, which could allegedly affect the taste and color of vegetables. But that was in the last century.

Lay with us, lay like we...

Iodized salt is a safe and healthy product. There are no known cases of disease associated with its use.

In the process of pasteurization or canning, when sterility considerations come to the fore, the presence of potassium iodate is more than appropriate. The substance does not affect the smell, taste or color of your blanks, contributing to their long-term storage.

Lack of iodine is a common problem, overgrown with many myths. We hope this text will help you navigate.

Problems with memory, attention and logic can be a consequence of iodine deficiency in the prenatal period and in early childhood. In adults, iodine deficiency is the cause of thyroid diseases - diffuse and nodular goiter.

In 113 countries of the world, as a prevention of iodine deficiency, mandatory salt iodization has been legally approved. Russia is not among them, and iodized salt is used on a voluntary basis. And good will, as you know, often falls into the thrall of myths, prejudices and other folk art. Let's try to understand the mythology.

Myth 1. Iodine deficiency can be compensated by diet.

Unfortunately, any plant and animal products obtained in iodine-poor areas contain insufficient amounts of iodine. The only way to compensate for iodine deficiency with a diet is to consume fresh sea fish and seafood daily. This brings a number of organizational difficulties and is not available to everyone.

Myth 2. Iodized salt is unstable, not stored for long, iodine "disappears" during cooking.

Most likely, this myth is rooted in the “pre-perestroika” years, when not very stable potassium iodide was used for salt iodization at the rate of 23 mg of iodine per kg of salt.

The more stable potassium iodate at 40 mg per kg is currently used for iodization. That is, even with the inevitable losses of iodine during the storage of salt and heat treatment of food, reaching 40%, with a daily use of about 6 g of salt, the intake of iodine in the body will be about 150 mcg / day, which corresponds to the physiological needs of the body.

The shelf life of modern iodized salt is at least 12 months.

Myth 3. Iodized salt is unsuitable for canning.

It is assumed that this myth is also associated with the unsatisfactory quality of iodized salt produced in the past. A weighty argument "against" this myth is the quality of modern canned foods made in countries where the use of iodized salt in the food industry is mandatory.

Myth 4. With additional consumption of iodine, there is a danger of overdose.

A dose of iodine up to 1000–2000 mcg is considered safe. It is unrealistic to get such a dose with iodized salt or iodine preparations intended for the prevention of iodine deficiency.

Myth 5. There are allergies to iodine.

Iodine is a micronutrient, and micronutrient allergy cannot develop by definition. This is the prerogative of complex organic compounds.

There can be idiosyncrasy to iodine - intolerance to its pharmacological doses. These are the same doses of more than 1000–2000 mcg or 1–2 mg that we cannot get from iodized salt, but easily from a number of other drugs.

In particular, 1 ml of alcohol tincture of iodine contains 50 mg (50,000 micrograms) of iodine. Such a dose of iodine can easily provoke dysfunction of the thyroid gland.

Myth 6. Sea salt is better than iodized salt.

Unfortunately, during the process of evaporation, purification and drying, iodine from sea salt almost completely disappears. For example, one gram of sea salt contains about 1 microgram of iodine, while iodized salt contains 40 micrograms.

Myth 7. Iodized salt is contraindicated for many people.

The only objective contraindication to taking prophylactic doses of iodine (the minimum necessary for the full functioning of the thyroid gland) is the period of following an iodine-free diet in preparation for radioiodine therapy after surgical treatment of thyroid cancer.

Prophylactic doses of iodine cannot have a significant effect on the course of other thyroid diseases, including those accompanied by excessive production of hormones.

Author Sviridonova Marina Alexandrovna - endocrinologist, Ph.D.

The middle of summer is over and it's time to think about creating the first blanks for the winter. One of the main ingredients in every recipe is salt. In this regard, many summer residents ask a reasonable question: what kind of salt is better to use?

What are the options?

On sale today you can find at least rock, iodized and sea salt. We list the main advantages and disadvantages of each product:

• If you want to get the classic tart taste of pickles, then close the jars with traditional rock salt. This excellent natural preservative will prevent the jars from exploding in storage and keep the cucumbers in them from becoming soft. This salt is cheaper than others.
• Recently, iodized salt has been gaining popularity. Indeed, in most regions of our country there is a problem of iodine deficiency. In some regions of central Russia, residents consume 5 times less iodine than necessary. And this affects the IQ of a person, the work of the thyroid gland, leads to delays in physical development in children. In addition, iodine itself is an excellent disinfectant and is good at killing foreign microorganisms. But canned cucumbers and tomatoes with iodized salt, according to many summer residents, are stored much worse. Plus, there is a slight smell of iodine and a characteristic mild bitterness. After some time, the fruits turn, as my grandmother says, into crumbs.
• Sea salt can also be used for preservation. It costs many times more than stone, it is often packaged in less capacious packs (450 g each, for example). Of course, there are many fakes, but if the salt is still sea, then it has a number of valuable advantages. After eating pickles, a person will not develop edema caused by stagnation of fluid in the body due to a large amount of salt. In addition to this, sea salt contains several dozen useful minerals that are essential for human health. For blanks, you should choose coarse sea salt.

By the way, it is important to note that recently a more stable substance, potassium iodate, has been used for salt iodization. It is not subject to destruction during heat treatment and long storage. Now manufacturers guarantee that such iodized salt can be stored for up to 9 months without losing its valuable qualities.

With what salt to make blanks is up to you. For example, you can make a couple of jars with different types of salt in order to personally check the quality of each of them in winter. If there is no difference (in taste, physical properties of pickled fruits), then use iodized or sea salt in the future, as they are more beneficial to health.