A Successful Pilot Experiment of Salt Reduction in Tunisian Bread: 35% Gradual Decrease of Salt Content without Detection by Consumers

Abstract

As bread is the most consumed food by the Tunisian population and the major source of salt, a pilot experiment of salt reduction in bread was begun in Bizerte city. Salt analysis in bread collected from Bizerte city was done with the Volhard titration method. A one-way Anova test was carried out to assess salt content changes over time. Application of the salt reduction programme allowed a gradual decrease of salt content in bread by 35% during three years without detection by Tunisian consumers. The salt concentration in bread was then reduced from 1.7 ± 0.2 g/100 g to 1.1 ± 0.1 g/100 g (p < 0.0001). The establishment of an effective salt reduction strategy with lifestyle education is needed to reduce hypertension, which is the primary cause of death in Tunisia.