Comparação físico-química e inorgânica do sal comum de mesa com o sal rosa do Himalaia

Abstract

The Himalayan rose salt is a product that is gaining prominence these days due to its supposed health benefits and possible advantages over common table salt. Although there are not many studies that prove the premise, the greatest stimulus to Himalayan salt consumption is justified by the theory that the product has a reduced sodium content and a higher content of trace elements compared to cooking salt. The objective of this work was to compare chemically the Himalayan rose salt with the common table salt and to evaluate the possible advantages and disadvantages between them.The two salt varieties differed in relation to the physicochemical parameters evaluated. Unlike common salt, iodine determination of iodine found the absence of the element in the Himalayan rose salt. The sodium chloride content, associated with the total insoluble solids content, showed high purity for the common salt, whereas for the pink salt other methods to evaluate its purity should be employed. In general, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) analyzes showed higher levelsof iron and magnesium for the Himalayan pink salt, which, contrary to expectations, alsoshowed higher concentrations of sodium when compared to common salt, thus notsupporting claims that the product has a reduced sodium content.