Discussion Committee:
Dr. Maather Sawalha / Supervisor
Prof. Ansam Sawalha / Co. Supervisor
Dr. Raed Alkwoni / Internal Examiner
Prof. Radi Dawood / External Examiner
Supervisors:
Dr. Maather Sawalha / Supervisor
Prof. Ansam Sawalha / Co. Supervisor
Abstract:
Iodized salt is the best ways known currently eliminate iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) and thyroid diseases. Iodate and Iodide are the two forms in which iodine is added to table salt. The concentration of iodine in iodized salt is affected by light, heat, time and other parameters. In Palestine, there are no studies shows the concentration of iodine in commercial packages. To determine the concentration, 99 samples of salt were randomly collected from Palestinian consumers in different governorate, it was found that 23-28% of samples have lost iodine content by 61-80% and 9% have lost up to100%. And about 43.5% of samples fit to Palestinian Standards Institute recommendation (35-55mg/kg) while 58 % were fit to UNICEF recommendation (15 mg/kg), and there is no noticeable difference in iodine concentration in packages during consumption. Also the study showed that the iodine lost during wet heating method was up to 67.5%, while in the dry heat was up to 26% only, and the iodine was lost in light more than in dark place.
Nine out of twelve iodized salt brands were collected from the Palestinian market, and results show that most of them are almost homogenous and the standard deviation between top, middle and bottom of the package ranged from 1.25x10-4 to 2.17x10-2. However, more attention should be paid to this subject by consumers, decision makers and researchers.