Sodium contents in labelson the mortadellas sold in Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed at evaluating the sodium contents reported in labels on mortadellas commercially available in Brazil, also to compare with the current recommendation of its consumption, and to estimate the contribution of daily sodium intake. The sodium contents were evaluated in the nutrition labels on 130 samples of mortadella (traditional; with and without bacon; tubular; bologna, bologna type, bologna light; poultry; smoked; Italian and special varieties). No difference (p > 0.05) was detected in the sodium contents among the varied types of mortadellas. However, a wide variation in the sodium contents among the trade-marks of the same product wasfound. The mortadella with bacon and the Italian type samples showed the highest and the lowest values for salt daily intake contribution, respectively, considering a consumption of 50 to 100 g/day. Among the poultry mortadellas, 8.7 % were classified as moderate sodium contents (121 to 600 mg/100 g), while 100 % of the other varieties samples showed high sodium contents (> 601 mg/100 g). The majority of mortadellas sold in Brazil present high sodium contents and a wide variety of sodium quantities among the product trade-marks was detected, which contributes to the high sodium daily intake.