Use of herbs and spices to reduce sodium intake

• Grant number: 11/20024-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition - Dietetics
• Principal Investigator: Maria Elisabeth Machado Pinto e Silva
• Grantee: Jenny Tiawen Chiang
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Studies estimate that the Brazilian's daily intake of dietary sodium exceeds more than twice the recommended limit, and that excessive sodium intake is closely related to the development of chronic diseases, and the high medical costs and socioeconomic factors. An analysis of data from Family Budget Survey (POF in Portuguese) indicates that about three quarters of the sodium available for consumption, come from the purchase of salt or salt-based condiments. Therefore, is proposed the development of seasonings made of herbs and spices with low sodium for partial or total replacement of salt and industrial condiments that is rich in sodium, in order to improve the acceptability of low sodium diet and also reduce sodium intake in the general population. First there will be researched herbs and spices in the world and in Brazil, as well as sodium levels and their modes of preparation, preservation, storage, combination, harmony with the dish, and later adapted to the target population. After the selection of recipes, preparation, with 25%, 50% and 100% less sodium content of the original recipe, will be developed in the Laboratory of Technical Dietetics of Public Health School. Final preparations will be confirmed and subjected to sensory analysis by the acceptance test, with a seven-point hedonic scale to see what the maximum percentage of sodium reduction accepted by the people is. The results will be submitted to analysis of variance - ANOVA and the TUKEY test. (AU)