DETERMINAÇÃO DO TEOR DE SÓDIO EM PIZZAS, HAMBÚRGUERES E MACARRÃO INSTANTÂNEO COMERCIALIZADOS NA REGIÃO NORTE DO CEARÁ

Abstract

Sodium acts physiologically in several functions of the organism and when in excess it contributes to the development of several diseases, among them, Arterial Hypertension. Epidemiological studies have shown that, in recent decades, sodium consumption has increased worldwide due to the expansion in consumption of processed foods such as pizza, instant noodles and hamburgers. These data motivated the investigation developed in this work, which aims to evaluate the sodium content in processed foods sold in Sobral-CE, using an experimental, quantitative and descriptive study, using three types of food: instant noodles, hamburgers and pizza , of different brands and within the expiration date. Quantification of the sodium content of the samples was performed by flame photometry. The 3 analyzed foods had a high sodium content according to RDC nº. 24, of June 15, 2010, however, the sodium levels found were lower than those declared on the label. The food that had the highest sodium content was instant noodles, in which a portion of this food comprises 65% of the total daily intake allowed by WHO. The present study warns of a reduction in sodium consumption by the population and for the need to monitor sodium content in semi-finished foods in order to prevent diseases and improve quality of life.