Comparision of edible salt types in terms of mineral profile

In this study, the mineral profile of the main edible salt types was determined comparatively with aim to contribute to the conscious salt preference of the consumer. The research material consists of 9 different salt samples 2 of which is rock salt, 2 is lake salt, 2 is spring salt and 3 is sea salt. Sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), selenium (Se) and 11 nutrient elements, including vanadium (V), were analysed in the salt samples. In the samples, the amounth of water-insoluble matter was also determined. In addition, the amount of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and and lead (Pb), which are considered to be mineral contaminants, were also determined. Mineral analysis was carried out with the ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer) device. According to the findings, the Na content of the salts varies between 39.1% and 39.2%. There is almost no difference between salt samples in terms of sodium which is the dominant mineral. The K content is slightly higher than other salts in lake (between 1855-3643 mg / kg) and rock (2879 mg / kg and 3487 mg / kg). In groundwater salts, the amount of K is low (1518 mg / kg and 1079 mg / kg), whereas the Ca content is high (2495 mg / kg and 1713 mg / kg) compared to other salts. The magnesium and iron content of the salt samples varies within a fairly wide range (<0.4-953 mg / kg and 0.9- 16.5 mg / kg) and the zinc content is lower than 0.8 mg / kg in all samples. The amount of phosphorus, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and vanadium in the salt samples were found below the determinable limit of the analysis method applied. As a result, it is understood that the mineral profile of edible salts is slightly different from each other, but this difference is not significant in terms of balanced nutrition. Keywords: Cooking salt, salt types, mineral profile, balanced diet.