Browsing by Subject "iodine intake"

Iodine is an essential nutrient for humans and it is needed for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Approximately 1,5 billion people in the world are suffering from iodine deficiency. In Finland, mild iodine deficiency has occurred in adults according to national surveys. The recommendation of iodine intake is 150 µg/day for adults. According to the National FinDiet 2017 survey, iodine intake of men was at the recommended level, but women had mild iodine deficiency. The most important sources of iodine are cereal products and dairy products. Iodized table salt is the most important source of iodine as a single ingredient. Iodized salt is added to several foods, but iodine loss may occur. Loss of iodine can be caused by several factors, for example heat treatments, storage conditions and processing. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the use of iodized salt in Finnish food industry and find out the amount of iodine in food products that contain iodized salt. The stability of iodine was also studied. The iodine intake in Finnish population was estimated. The use of iodized salt in Finnish food industry was investigated mostly with Foodie-website and food manufacturers’ websites. Iodine concentrations from 112 food products in different food categories were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) at Finnish Food Authority. The iodine intake in 2012 and 2017, was estimated for different population groups. The consumption data of different food groups were from the National FinDiet 2012 and 2017 surveys. The iodine content of different foods were from analyzed food samples and Fineli-database. Two kinds of calculations were done: with and without iodized salt. There are many categories, where most of the manufacturers use iodized salt: breads, convenience foods, sauces, cold cuts and sausages. The amount and stability of iodine varied between different food products. Calculated and analyzed iodine content varied between different food products and food categories. There was big difference in iodine intake, depending on if calculations were done with or without iodized salt. For example, for 18–44 years old women in 2017, the iodine intake was 228 µg/day with iodized salt and 88 µg/day without iodized salt. The use of iodized salt in the Finnish food industry seems to be at a good level, but there are differences between categories. The amount and stability of iodine in food products varies a lot, but it was seen that there is still significant amount of iodine in processed food products. Iodized food products have a major effect on the iodine intake of Finnish population. There is still no concern about excessive iodine intake at the iodine concentration 25 mg/kg NaCl. Finnish food industry should continue using iodized salt, because it is an efficient way to prevent iodine deficiency in Finnish population.