Comparison of salt content in breads offered in bakeries in South Khorasan province in 2014-2018

Background and Aim: Adding salt to foods including bread along with improving its taste can cause problems such as high blood pressure; therefore, considering the importance of the presence of salt in bread, the purpose of this study was to investigate the amount of bread salt in bakeries in South Khorasan province in 2014-2018. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical and retrospective study was performed by random sampling method on bakeries in South Khorasan province in the period of 2014-2018. The measurement of the salt level was done according to the standards of the Iranian Institute of Standards and Industrial Research. The data were analyzed by using variance analysis tests and Tukey's post-hoc test. Results: 2577 loaves of bread were sent to the food laboratory of South Khorasan province during the years 2014-2018, which is the total average amount of salt In Lavash bread, it was equal to 1.63 ± 0.57 g, Taftoon was 1.51 ± 0.53 g, and in Sangag bread, it was 1.42 ± 0.56 g. The mean of salt levels in years had significantly various (p <0.001). Conclusion: Our result showed that the amount of salt in bread was highest in 2016. It seems to be due to the lack of awareness of bakers about changing the standard of salt in that year. In this regard, the adoption of preventive and regulatory programs by the Food and Drug Administration can be a guide. Key Words: Bakery; Bread; Salt; South Khorasan